First Thoughts: Michaela Rose & Sanu Jallow Go Sub-2:00 (800), Multiple Men Run 1:45 (800) to Win Titles, Parker Valby Runs 15:07 (5k) & Four Women Go Sub-4:10 (1500) at BIG 12 Championships

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Sunday is finally here and with it comes the conclusion of most (but not all) conference meets. While certain conferences like the BIG 10 and PAC-12 are wrapping up today (actually, they ended by the time I finished this article), many of this weekend's headline-worthy results are now set in stone and ready for us to analyze.

And as a side note, I made sure to add a large handful of performances to our "Quick Hits" section. You may find some very strong performances in that section that weren't discussed in detail, but that is simply because those results didn't necessarily change the landscape of the NCAA or alter our opinion of that runner.

Let's break down all of the madness that took place before we shift our attention to our regional and national meets...

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Parker Valby Runs 15:07 to Win SEC 5k Title, Doris Lemngole Takes 2nd While Arkansas Women Find Success

Florida's Parker Valby is really good at running fast...and yeah, that's pretty much all of the analysis that we need.

The Gator phenom easily secured gold at the SEC Championships over 5000 meters. Her mark of 15:07 (5k) may not be all that close to her PR, but it does put her at NCAA #4 all-time in that event on the outdoor oval.

Will Parker Valby contest both the 10k and the 5k at the regional and national meets? It's hard to say. One would imagine that the Olympic Trials are likely a major focal point of her summer schedule. And for someone who has a history of injury, remaining fresh for that meet is almost certainly priority number one.

And yet, at the same time, the 10k and the 5k are two events that Valby will be heavily favored in at the NCAA Championships. Plus, with the Florida women aiming for a team title, the Gators may need all of the scoring that Valby can give them.

Regardless, we didn't learn anything about Parker Valby this past weekend that we didn't already know about her.

As for Doris Lemngole, she deserves major props for securing silver in the same race with an applause-worthy time of 15:25. Sure, Lemngole has run much faster than that before, but this is someone who ran 9:28 in the steeplechase the night before!

If anything, this past weekend showed us that the Alabama runner can effectively double over the course of the weekend. That will be very important given the multi-round system that she'll have to navigate on the national stage for the steeplechase.

Now, the only question is...does Doris Lemngole do the steeple/5k double throughout the rest of the postseason? I doubt it, but I don't think it's unrealistic, either.

Taking 3rd place and 4th place in this race was the Arkansas duo of Paityn Noe and Sydney Thorvaldson. That pair of Razorbacks produced times of 15:34 and 15:48, respectively.

For someone like Thorvaldson, this is a strong effort, but not all that surprising. The Arkansas talent has been coming into her own as of late, recently posting times of 15:25 (5k) and 32:36 (10k). She'll be a very dangerous name on the national stage (if she qualifies), mainly because she is someone who seemingly thrives in fast-paced settings -- and that's likely what Valby and the Alabama women will want.

But the runner who impressed me the most (relative to expectations) was freshman Paityn Noe, an up-and-coming talent who had quite the weekend. After earning silver in the 10k on Thursday night, Noe came back two nights later to drop a fantastic 15:34 (5k) personal best and secure bronze!

Noe showed us during the cross country season that she can be an instant impact name within the NCAA ranks. And despite what her performance at the NCAA XC Championships may have suggested, this is someone who has largely been unafraid to race with some of the best women that the country has to offer.

You could argue that Noe is on a hot streak right now. And while general youth and inexperience may leave us with reservations throughout the rest of the postseason, the raw talent of this Razorback rookie is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore.

Villanova's Sean Dolan Makes Statement With 1:45 (800) PR & Victory at BIG East Championships

You could make an argument that, throughout the entirety of the 2024 indoor track season, Sean Dolan was the nation's best overall half-miler.

Sure, he didn't always win key races, but he ran 1:46 for 800 meters multiple times, did secure a strong win or two, showcased great flexibility in his tactics and he was a narrow runner-up finisher at the indoor national meet.

But throughout these spring months, Dolan has raced sparingly. He made his season debut with a decent 1:47 (800) performance at the Bryan Clay Invite and he then contributed to two Penn Relays lineups for Villanova (winning one of them).

However, beyond those two appearances, we haven't seen Dolan race much.

That, of course, was because the Villanova veteran was aiming to peak for the postseason similar to how he did during the winter months. With a monster 1:45 PR for 800 meters en route to a BIG East title this past weekend, Dolan has now become one of the best all-around half-milers in the NCAA.

Before this past weekend, Dolan had never run under 1:46 for 800 meters. And during a season where numerous men have cracked 1:46, being able to thrive in a fast-paced, aggressively-run setting like that feels necessary this spring.

So, now that Dolan has proven that he's fit, peaking for the postseason and able to handle most race scenarios, I can't help but ask the question...should we add this Wildcat star to the growing list of men who could be considered 800-meter national title contenders?

It likely depends on which TSR writer you ask, but I could certainly be convinced to add him to that surprisingly lengthy list.

Also, super encouraging run by fellow Wildcat, Dan Watcke. The freshman who transferred from Oregon earlier this year had been fairly quiet until this spring. And this past weekend, he just threw down a fantastic 1:47.00 (800) PR to claim silver at the BIG East Championships.

LSU's Michaela Rose Runs 1:58 (800) to Secure SEC Title, Arkansas' Sanu Jallow Follows Close Behind For 1:59 PR

When it comes to the women's 800 meters at the SEC Championships, there isn't much that we can say about Michaela Rose that you haven't heard before.

Once again, the LSU superstar was an aggressive front-runner who led wire-to-wire, producing a 1:58 clocking in the process and going under two minutes in this event for the eighth time in her career (between indoor track and outdoor track).

However, what we weren't expecting was for Arkansas' Sanu Jallow to sit behind Rose for the entire race. In turn, the Razorback standout dropped an insane two-and-a-half second PR of 1:59.29 for 800 meters!

Jallow, a transfer from Texas A&M, had a breakout season this past winter, becoming a national-caliber half-miler with strong consistency. That reliability didn't change during the spring months either as Jallow clocked three separate 2:03 (800) marks prior to this past weekend.

However, to go from a seasonal best of 2:03 all the way down to 1:59 is stunning. If you would have told me that Sanu Jallow would produce the NCAA #5 all-time mark in the women's outdoor 800 meters, I probably would have assumed that she would do it in her senior year...not her sophomore year.

But how are we supposed to interpret this result for Jallow? Is she now an 800-meter national title contender after running 1:59? Would we put her in the same tier as Rose and Whittaker? Truthfully, I'm not there quite yet with Jallow. She's still fairly young and we had not see any times prior to this past weekend which suggested that she would go sub-2:00.

As many readers of The Stride Report know, we value consistency A LOT when we're crafting rankings and predictions. And thankfully, Jallow has proven to be an incredibly reliable half-miler over the past year. If she can translate that consistency to the highest levels of her peak fitness, then we may not have a choice about which tier she belongs in come the conclusion of the spring season.

Nice runs by South Carolina's Sylvia Chelangat (2:01) and Kentucky's Sydney Steely (2:02) who finished 3rd and 4th in the same race, respectively. We knew that both of these women were capable of running these times, but they just needed to be in the right race to deliver on that potential. And thanks to Michaela Rose, Saturday gave them the perfect setting.

Adam Spencer Drops Down in Distance to Win BIG 10 Title & Defeat 800-Meter Stars

Before the BIG 10 Outdoor Championships began, this is what I said about Adam Spencer...

"Adam Spencer may not be a pure 800-meter runner, but he has proven multiple times before that he can be a massive threat in this event. His raw fitness could carry him to a title on Sunday."

And while I didn't predict Spencer to win, I think my initial analysis of him was fairly spot on. On Sunday, the Wisconsin star put himself in an excellent position, coming off the curve in the lead and aiming to run away from the likes of Camden Marshall (2nd), Handal Roban (3rd) and Rivaldo Marshall (4th) among many others.

Sure enough, Spencer's strength was enough for him to hold onto the win despite coming down in distance to the primary event of two national title contenders and a strong All-American candidate.

The 1500 meters will absolutely be the focus for Spencer moving forward. And in when it comes to his national title chances in that race, they may have grown after taking down a handful of men who are considered to be among the best in the NCAA over 800 meters.

As for Camden Marshall, this is yet another excellent BIG 10 performance where he has defeated both Handal Roban and Rivaldo Marshall. His late-race speed has made him very lethal and his fitness is strong enough to the point where he can find success in most race scenarios.

Admittedly, getting to the national meet (as an individual) has been a challenging task for Marshall in recent years. And yet, despite a handful of near misses, it's very obvious that, a) he belongs on that stage, and b) he's capable of earning All-American honors.

Alright, now for Roban and Marshall.

Handal Roban has a reputation for peaking in the postseason. He was a two-time national meet bronze medalist last year over 800 meters and he secured a 6th place honor in that same event at the 2024 indoor national meet.

Is a 3rd place result what I was hoping to see out of Roban this past weekend? No, it admittedly is not, but history has told us that it's best not to count out the Penn State ace, especially once he reaches the national meet.

As for Rivaldo Marshall, I'm conflicted. A 4th place result at the conference level isn't an ideal result for someone who is the defending indoor national champion over 800 meters. But at the same time, Marshall was the only one in that field who has run 1:45 for 800 meters this season and he finished 5th at the BIG 10 Indoor Championships this past winter before going on to win NCAA gold.

I'm still willing to call Marshall a national title contender, but given how strong other men are looking, his place in that conversation is becoming tighter and tighter.

Juliet Cherubet Runs 4:09 (1500) to Win BIG 12 Title as Three Others Go Sub-4:10 in Exciting Finish

Man, what a race!

In a 1500-meter final that involved numerous lead changes, interesting surges and very few women faltering from a fast pace, it was Texas Tech's Juliet Cherubet who emerged victorious. The Red Raider runner, who briefly led at one point, ran alongside a handful of other women down the final straightaway. And after finding one last surge within her, Cherubet secured gold on the inside rail with a strong time of 4:09.

Right behind Cherubet was BYU's Sadie Sargent (2nd), Texas' Olivia Howell (3rd) and Oklahoma State's Billah Jepkirui (4th), all of whom ran 4:09 as well.

Let's first chat about Cherubet. The freshman from Texas Tech has been excellent this year, running 15:25 for 5000 meters after being an All-American in cross country. Of course, the grand successes of other women in the longer distance events may have overshadowed just how strong this Red Raider rookie has been.

Even so, dropping down to the 1500 meters and winning a BIG 12 title in the manner that she did is a big deal. Not only that, but just look at the names who Cherubet defeated!

Sadie Sargent has been a national-caliber name for a few seasons, Olivia Howell is the 2023 NCAA mile champion and Billah Jepkirui was having the best year of anyone in this field. Plus, TCU's Gracie Morris and BYU's Riley Chamberlain were both in this race and defeating them is no small feat, either.

It makes sense that Cherubet's aerobic strength from the longer distances translated into her being able to run as fast as she did. But after securing what might end up being the most underrated win of the season, I can't help but wonder if Cherubet would contest the 1500 meters at the regional and national meets instead or (or in addition to) the 5000 meters.

I still think she should be fresh for the 5k, but gosh was that win impressive...

As for Sadie Sargent, this is an excellent result that should give her a lot of confidence. Grabbing silver in this field should not be an accomplishment that is taken lightly, especially when you run 4:09 (1500) and take down someone like Billah Jepkirui in the process.

After running 15:34 over 5000 meters earlier this season, Sargent is going to have an interesting decision to make for the West Regional Championships. Does she try the 1500 meters, the 5000 meters or the 1500/5k double?

I still think the 5k is her best of the two options, but Saturday's race was the most competitive that Sargent has been this season, regardless of the event. Her skillset theoretically makes her a better fit for the 1500 meters, but the 5000 meters is seemingly more wide-open from an All-American perspective, especially if certain women double back from the 1500 meters.

As for Olivia Howell, this was a huge race. She's been fairly quiet over the last year, not coming all that close to her peak form which made her an NCAA champion in the winter of 2023. But a 4:09 (1500) effort to narrowly miss the BIG 12 title is a very encouraging step in the right direction.

Howell will admittedly have her hands full on the national stage if she chooses to attack the 1500 meters like she did last year. But with a 2:02 PR over 800 meters (which she ran shortly after running 4:09 for 1500 meters) and prior experience navigating around elite women, this Texas graduate student could end up being a major problem for her opponents.

Alright, now let's get to Billah Jepkirui.

The Oklahoma State sophomore has been incredible throughout this academic year. She has posted jaw-dropping times and has consistently defeated top-tier names. No, she hasn't necessarily been invincible, but she hasn't really had a "poor" performance, either.

And truthfully, can we even really say that Jepkirui had an "off" day in the 1500-meter finals? She still ran a very strong time of 4:09 and was within less than half a second of the winner. If one or two strides go differently for her, then she could have very easily secured gold in this race.

In other words, I would not at all worry about this result. It did show us that Jepkirui is human, but there's no real reason to worry about her moving forward.

As for Morris (5th) and Chamberlain (6th), I also struggle to have any real sense of urgency about these results given that the former ran 4:10 and the latter ran 4:11. That said, Chamberlain hasn't looked quite as strong this season as she did throughout the winter months. She's still running well and offering great consistency, but it will be interesting to see if she replicates her fantastic postseason peak that we saw from her back in March.

Texas Star Yusuf Bizimana Fends Off Darius Kipyego & Sebastian Fernandez For BIG 12 800m Title

I'll admit, I was getting slightly nervous about Texas star Yusuf Bizimana going into Saturday.

The Longhorn ace missed the 800-meter finals at the indoor national meet and although he held his own at the Mt. SAC Relays, it did feel like he had more to offer. Things didn't get any better when he was unable to make it out of the 1500-meter prelims at the BIG 12 Championships this past Thursday.

Thankfully, we saw a more complete version of Bizimana in the 800-meter finals on Saturday. After putting himself near the front and mostly out of trouble, the English middle distance runner decided to take over with 400 meters to go, effectively daring the rest of the field to catch him.

Initially, the only runner who followed Bizimana was Darius Kipyego who hung right behind his conference rival going into the final straightaway. In fact, there was a moment where it looked like Kipyego would take over the lead. At the same time, BYU's Sebastian Fernandez began to creep up in lane one, also appearing as a threat for gold.

But Bizimana didn't waver. Instead, he opened his stride and was able to get enough separation to secure the win and a strong 800-meter time of 1:46.07. Fernandez would take silver while Kipyego would settle for bronze.

This feels like a really important win for Bizimana. There is an argument to be made that, when he's firing on all cylinders, he is the best all-around 800-meter runner in the NCAA when it comes fitness, tactics, experience, etc. However, since the end of February, we hadn't really seen that from him. But an 800-meter win over a 1:45 runner and a 1:46 guy has to feel good for the Texas standout.

Now, as we prep for the West Regional Championships, Bizimana can enter the meet with renewed momentum at just the right time.

As for Sebastian Fernandez (2nd) and Darius Kipyego (3rd), I would be plenty happy if I was the both of them.

Fernandez realistically had a shot at pulling off the upset. And even though he didn't, he still secured a minor PR and has now strung together back-to-back 1:46 (800) performances after a year of mostly struggles.

As for Kipyego, he was competitive with a national title contender up until the final 50 meters. That at least gives me more confidence in him as we prepare for the multi-round system of the regional and national meets.

Gabija Galvydyte Throws Down Huge Kick to Catch Kelly-Ann Beckford to Win BIG 12 800m Title in 2:00.42

Houston's Kelly-Ann Beckford has built a reputation for being an aggressive front-runner, a tactic that she employed on Saturday evening. And just how aggressive was Beckford? Well, she came through the first 400 meters of yesterday's BIG 12 Championship 800-meter final in 55 seconds.

Yes, 55 seconds.

But after the first lap concluded, Oklahoma State's Gabija Galvydyte and the rest of the field began to creep up behind her. And with 200 meters to go, you could begin to see Galvydyte really opening up her stride while her vision was set on Beckford who was at least 30 meters ahead of her.

With just 100 meters to go, you could see that the race was largely over -- and Galvydyte was going to win. The Cowgirl standout had not yet caught Beckford at that point, but with 40-ish meters remaining, Galvydyte caught her conference rival and secured gold with an outstanding 2:00.42 (800) personal best. Beckford would end up running 2:01 for silver.

When it comes to Galvydyte, it's hard not to love where she's at in her fitness right now. She perfectly timed her postseason peak last spring which led to a NCAA Championship runner-up honor and a 2:00 PR over 800 meters.

But in 2024, this Lithuanian middle distance star looks even better. And if Glavydyte is able to run this well at her conference meet, then what could she do on the national stage if she still has room to peak even further?

I truthfully don't know if Galvydyte can win a national title over 800 meters come June. Between Juliette Whittaker, Michaela Rose and a host of other women, the top of the women's national 800-meter picture has debatably never been this good.

But do I think that Galvydyte is at least capable of winning NCAA gold? Yes, I do, even if it's only a 5% chance.

As for Beckford, she simply went out way too hard. 55 seconds through the first 400 meters is crazy fast. For perspective, Michaela Rose went out in 58.31 seconds through the first 400 meters of the NCAA Indoor Championships 800-meter final. That race ended with two women going under 2:00.

And yet, I gotta admit, she held on way better than I thought she would. That's a fairly good sign if Beckford were to qualify for the 800-meter finals at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. Michaela Rose is going to want to make that race fast and given how well Beckford handled an overly-ambitious pace of her own this past weekend, I like her chances of earning a top finish come June should she make it to that round.

Tarees Rhoden Kicks Past Nick Plant to Run 1:45 (800) PR & Win ACC Title

For numerous seasons, I have consistently said that Clemson's Tarees Rhoden is not as effective over 800 meters with his aggressive front-running approach than he could be with a different tactic. He does, after all, boast great 400-meter speed and has never contested a race longer than 1000 meters.

Sure enough, during Saturday's 800-meter final at the ACC Championships, Rhoden employed a more conservative approach that ended in him winning a conference title AND him running under 1:46 (800) for the first time in his career.

Of course, make no mistake, Rhoden was still the one to initiate an aggressive pace and lead the field through most of the first lap (which went through in 51 seconds). However, the difference is that, instead of Rhoden continuing to push the pace until he faded, it was Virginia Tech's Nick Plant who took over from 400 meters and continued to be aggressive.

But in the final 150 meters, Rhoden moved up and around Plant's shoulder, charging hard down the straightaway to secure ACC gold and a 1:45.97 (800) PR. As for Plant, he would fade to 4th place while Wake's Forest's Rynard Swanepoel (2nd) and Virginia's Shane Cohen (3rd) both clocked very impressive 1:46 marks of their own.

Whether or not Rhoden implements the same patience at the regional and national meets is still to be determined. However, this past weekend proved that he can be effective when racing from behind -- and he didn't even need to sacrifice a quick first lap to do so.

As for Swanepoel and Cohen, these are really solid performances. Admittedly, they weren't majorly involved with the leaders at any point, but they did benefit from properly responding to the move made in front of them.

Watch out for UVA's Shane Cohen. The graduate transfer from Tampa has been insanely consistent this spring over 800 meters, running 1:49 then 1:47 then 1:48 (split) then running 1:47 and then, finally, running 1:46 on Saturday.

I don't know I'd pick Cohen to be an All-American, but he looks like a very safe pick to advance to the NCAA Outdoor Championships in a few weeks time.

Finally, Nick Plant.

I have to admit, I didn't exactly love when Plant made the decision to take the lead with 400 meters to go after already coming through the first lap in 51 seconds. But at the same time, I also see the argument as to why he tried that approach. After all, Plant has shown that he has greater aerobic strength than Rhoden thanks to his 3:38 (1500) personal best.

Even so, it's best to experiment and learn now rather than during the regional and national meets. If this is Plant's worst race of the season, then that's not necessarily a bad thing.

Olivia Markezich (15:23) & Siona Chisholm (15:32) Go 1-2 Over 5000 Meters at ACC Championships

When it comes to Olivia Markezich, there isn't any need to make our analysis longer than it should be. She took to the lead fairly early-on and simply pushed the pace on her own. No one went with her and she comfortably secured gold with an impressive time of 15:23.

Did we learn anything new about Markezich after that performance? No, not really, but at the very least, we know that she's healthy, fit and nearing her peak form as we inch closer to the NCAA Outdoor Championships.

However, the bigger development in this race was Markezich's teammate, Siona Chisholm, snagging silver with a strong 5k PR of 15:32!

Chisholm is someone who many writers at The Stride Report have been very high on, especially going into last fall. However, the rising distance talent never truly reached the levels that we thought she could and her indoor track season, while still good, was more of the same.

But throughout the spring months, Chisholm has begun to deliver on her potential and talent. She first ran a 15:37 (5k) PR at the Raleigh Relays and later posted a 4:16 (1500) personal best at the Wake Forest Invite. Now, in the early going of the postseason, Chisholm is looking as good as she ever has been.

As for Virginia's Margot Appleton (3rd), NC State's Sam Bush (4th) and NC State's Grace Hartman (5th), you may have expected them to be a bit more competitive with Chisholm. Of course, it's important to remember that all three of those women were coming back from the 1500-meter finals earlier in the day, a race which Appleton won.

Sam Whitmarsh Goes Wire-to-Wire to Win SEC 800m Title in Blistering Time of 1:45

When Texas A&M's Sam Whitmarsh ran 1:44 over 800 meters earlier this season, many people were shocked. Sure, we knew he was extremely talented, but this was someone who did not qualify for the NCAA Indoor Championships this past winter and had never run under 1:46 for 800 meters until that race!

Naturally, we wanted to see Whitmarsh validate his jaw-dropping early-season performance.

Well, if the Aggie middle distance star didn't already validate himself with a 1:45 anchor split at the Penn Relays, then he certainly validated himself this past weekend.

Despite the SEC boasting tons of excellent half-milers, that didn't see to faze Whitmarsh who went straight to the front of the SEC 800-meter final and never relented. With what seemed to be the smoothest stride that I have ever seen, Whitmarsh powered away over the final 200 meters and gained an insurmountable lead. He would win gold in a time of 1:45.

In the grand scheme of things, this race doesn't really force us to look at Whitmarsh any differently -- it simply validates what our initial thoughts of him were. However, his stock as a national title favorite in my eyes has certainly grown.

Also, how about the absolutely incredible same-day doubles that we saw South Carolina's Anass Essayi (2nd) and Florida's Parvej Khan (3rd)? Not only did both of those men run 1:46 in the 800-meter finals, but the former went on to place 2nd over 5000 meters in 13:34 while the latter was coming from the 1500-meter finals which he won in 3:42.

They may not get the same headlines as Whitmarsh and a few others, but gosh, that was some impressive scoring value displayed by both of those men.

Quick Hits

• Arkansas' Patrick Kiprop ran 13:32 to win the SEC 5k title. That won't make any headlines, but it is a solid win over a strong and respectable field.

• North Carolina's Parker Wolfe posted a 13:19 mark at the ACC Championships to easily win the 5000-meter title. That is a super impressive mark that is just as good as most of the performances mentioned above, but it may also be the least surprising result that we saw this past weekend.

• Roisin Willis recorded a very strong converted time of 2:00 (800) to win the PAC-12 title. And when you consider that her opponents, UCLA's Kate Jendrezak & Utah's Josefine Erickson, each produced converted 2:01 marks, that was not an easy win for Willis. Kudos to the second-year talent for further building on her 2:02 (800) mark from earlier this season.
  

• Michigan's Trent McFarland, a true freshman, just ran 3:43 to barely win the BIG 10 title over 1500 meters. The guy he beat? Teammate Nick Foster who essentially crossed the line right beside him. Really impressive stuff from the rookie.

• Another weekend, another strong steeplechase performance for Wisconsin's Logan Measner. The Badger talent secured the BIG 10 title over the barriers and water pits with an 8:40 effort. There isn't a whole lot to discuss, although I do like the excellent consistency that Measner has shown us recently.

• Clemson's Gladys Chepngetich had one of the more impressive doubles of anyone this past weekend. The Tiger freshman first ran 4:13 to finish as the runner-up over 1500 meters. Then, she came back for the 800-meter finals where she ran 2:02 to secure a gold medal. Chepngetich's recent display of effectively doubling should bode well for her as she prepares for the multiple rounds of the regional and national meets.

• Virginia's Margot Appleton looked really smooth en route to winning the ACC title over 1500 meters in 4:11. Doubling back to run sub-15:40 over 5000 meters was impressive as well.

• Stanford's Ky Robinson and Colorado's Bailey Hertenstein both successfully earned double gold between the 10k and the 5k at the PAC-12 Championships. That's not super surprising for Robinson, but Hertenstein was clearly thriving on her home track and at altitude. Her current fitness may even be rivaling her form from the 2022 cross country season.

• Oregon's Elliott Cook secured wins at the PAC-12 Championships over 1500 meters and 800 meters. Those may have been slower tactical races, but Cook defeated Washington's "Big Three" in the metric mile which is not something to brush aside.

• After going 1-2 over 10,000 meters at the BIG 10 Championships, the Penn State duo of Florence Carson and Sophia Toti returned to the track for the 5000 meters where they ran 15:52 and 16:07, respectively. That's not necessarily a surprising development, but consistently delivering against respectable fields deserves some recognition.

• Villanova's Liam Murphy ran 3:39 (1500) to win the BIG East title. Surprising? No. Commendable? Yes.

• Georgetown's Melissa Riggins ran 4:08 to win the 1500-meter title at the BIG East Championships, taking down Providence's Shannon Flockhart (4:11) in the process. That is probably the most impressive result in our "Quick Hits" section, but I simply don't have much more to say other than Melissa Riggins is the real deal.

• Hampton's Duigon Blackman has consistently found ways to make himself a relevant name in the postseason. He was the dreaded "Last Man Out" at the 2022 East Regional Championships over 800 meters and he qualified for the outdoor national meet in that event the following year. Now, this past weekend, Blackman dropped a HUGE personal best of 1:46.67 to take down a strong adversary in Kerem Ayhan (1:47) at the CAA Outdoor Championships. That's only the second time that Blackman has dipped under 1:48 (800) in his career and it's his first time under 1:47.

• Gosh, the BIG Sky Championships were odd. Colin Sahlman and Nico Young went 1-2 in the 1500-meter finals, but it was actually the prelims where we saw the fastest times. After altitude conversions, guys like NAU's Aaron Las Heras (3:38), Weber State's Kelton Gagnon (3:38), Montana State's Harvey Cramb (3:38) and NAU's Kang Nyoak (3:39) all cracked 3:40. That's not too stunning for most of these guys, although Gagnon was certainly not someone who I expected to have a 3:38 mark next to his name this season, converted or not.

• Similarly, at the WAC Championships, the CBU duo of Matias Reynaga and Valentin Soca went 1-2 over 1500 meters, earning 3:39 conversions in the process. I still think both men are better suited for the 10k, but I'll be interested to see if Coach Adam Tribble thinks the same.

• Lost in the madness of Division One conference meets was Adams State's Brianna Robles running an outstanding 5k time of 15:30! That mark now sits at NCAA #2 all-time in the Division Two ranks. Robles was already going to be a national title favorite in the 5k this month, but after this past weekend, she may enter the NCAA D2 Outdoor Championships as the sole title favorite.