First Thoughts: Oklahoma State & Washington's Epic Battle, Oregon's Narrow Victory & Hamilton's Mile

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Ah, yes.

Saturday morning.

I've got my iced coffee (Dunkin, of course), breakfast and the courage to admit how terrible my predictions were (again). This article is going to be a fun one. Let's begin...

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Oklahoma State Fends Off Washington in Epic DMR Battle as Both DMR Squads Smash Previous Men's NCAA Record

Here's the thing: I don't think anyone is (or should be) surprised that the NCAA men's DMR record went down. The top-end portion of times within the distance events this year are faster than they ever have been and the raw firepower of teams like Washington and Oklahoma State have been overwhelming this year.

However, if the record was going to be broken, I thought the Washington men would be the ones to do it (they technically still did) and that they would do it by a second. Maybe two, max.

But in one of the most thrilling DMR races that I have seen in my almost-eight years of covering this sport, it was the Oklahoma State men who came away with the victory and the record, running 9:16.40. The Huskies were a quarter of a second behind.

Did I think that the Cowboys had a shot at breaking the record?

Yes.

Did I think that they could win this race?

Also yes.

Did I think that they would run 9:16?

No, but frankly, I'm not sure I saw anyone running that fast this weekend.

Of course, just because Oklahoma State beat Washington doesn't mean that the men from Seattle ran poorly. In fact, this was probably the most even DMR matchup I have ever seen. Sure, there was a lead exchange here or there, but the two relays were never separated by more than a couple of strides.

It's hard to really say anything insightful about any of the legs for Washington and Oklahoma State. All of them were just flat-out really, really good. Outstanding, actually.

Ryan Schoppe is the only guy who truly caught my attention, though. The control that he has over his fitness right now is beyond impressive. He went to the front with a few laps to go and even though Kieran Lumb stuck on him, Schoppe was just too strong to get around.

The Texas native just looks like a different runner. He looks like he has matured significantly from a racing, positioning and tactical perspective. His ability to change gears, maintain his pacing and make convincing moves are things that even the most talented distance runners in the NCAA never develop, at least not to his level.

And with a 3:52 split on the anchor leg, we may have to reevaluate where this guy sits in our Division One distance running hierarchy, right now.

There were a few other relays in this field that deserve some attention/analysis. Let's go through them one by one and see what kind of insights we can take away.

Arkansas Razorbacks (9:22)

You could argue that relative to expectations, Arkansas' DMR performance on Friday was just as impressive as what we saw from Oklahoma State and Washington...ok, maybe not as impressive, but you get what I'm saying.

German miler Elias Schreml just hasn't been having a good indoor track season this winter. He's run 2:29 for 1000 meters, 4:07 in the mile and then most recently, 4:01 in the mile. This is a guy who ran 3:57 last winter, but he just hasn't looked super sharp lately. And with Ben Shearer owning a mile PR of "only" 4:00 this winter, it was hard seeing Arkansas being competitive in this field.

But with Schreml splitting 3:56 on the anchor leg, the Razorbacks suddenly had one of the more complete DMR lineups of the weekend. Leroy Russell III split 1:47 on his 800 meter leg and Shearer ran 2:52 on the lead-off portion of that DMR.

There were a lot of cautionary aspects about this relay going into Friday, but all of those concerns were essentially nullified by the end of the race.

Virginia Cavaliers (9:23)

This was the only prediction I got right.

In our Arkansas Qualifier meet preview, I said that the Virginia men would run 9:23 in the DMR on Friday night...and sure enough, they did!

I really liked the move to put Conor Murphy on the 1200 meter leg. From a time perspective, it theoretically made more sense to put him on the anchor leg. But given how good the rest of the UVA milers have been this year, putting Murphy in the lead-off spot was a brilliant move as the Cavaliers probably got more value with him on that leg.

Murphy was, on paper, the best man suited for that distance.

And with a 2:50 (1200) split, that was enough of a cushion for Gary Martin (1:48) and Wes Porter (3:58) to be just a few ticks back from Arkansas.

Alabama Crimson Tide (9:24)

Alabama should not have run this fast. They just shouldn't have.

This was such a wildly impressive result. It was one thing if Alabama had Eliud Kipsang racing at 100% on the anchor leg. But they didn't. Instead, they put Victor Kiprop on the final spot of their relay, a guy who has run no faster than 4:02 in the mile.

But the long distance superstar threw down an outstanding 3:56 split on the anchor leg, giving Alabama a mark of 9:24 and a somewhat realistic shot of qualifying for the indoor national meet...until a couple of hours ago (thanks, Alex Wilson Invite).

Iowa State Cyclones (9:30)

It just wasn't Nehemia Too's best day. He split 4:03 on the anchor leg, taking Iowa State completely out of contention. And yes, he has been inconsistent at times, but his still-rising talent ceiling made him the right man to be at the tail-end of the Cyclones' relay.

Because if Too popped off for a big split like his season has suggested that he could, then Iowa State could have been battling with Arkansas. Instead, it just wasn't their day, but it was a necessary decision to take that approach when it came to their lineup order.

Oregon, Arkansas & BYU Women All Run 10:49 (DMR) in Thrilling Finish, Ducks Emerge With Overall Win

The women's DMR race at Arkansas may not have broken the NCAA record, but the field was just as deep and the race was arguably even more thrilling. That's because the Oregon women, Arkansas women and BYU women all ran under 10:50 in the DMR battle and were separated by 0.17 seconds.

Unlike the Oklahoma State men and Washington men, this race was far more variable. It wouldn't make sense to group the analysis together for each of these relays. Instead, let's break down these results team by team.

Oregon Ducks (10:49)

Just all-around incredible stuff from the Ducks. What the ladies from Oregon did on Friday night deserves MAJOR respect. Not just for what they did in the DMR, but for what they did in the open events as well (more on that in a moment).

Klaudia Kazimierska looked unbelievably strong on the 1200 meter leg. I have never seen someone run as fast she did (splitting 3:17) with a final lap that fast. She completely gapped a field of incredible middle distance talents and was clearly the best leg of this Oregon relay.

We knew that the 1200 meter leg was, theoretically, the best distance for this Polish distance ace, but her effort shattered our expectations.

A modest 800 meter split certainly didn't help, but Izzy Thornton-Bott was so resilient on the anchor leg. She split 4:32 and fended off both Lauren Gregory and Sadie Sargent on the last lap for the win. It was an incredibly gutsy effort that deserves a ton of respect.

Can Oregon win the DMR national title? Yes, almost definitely. They proved that they can effectively double with great mile efforts later in the night (again, we'll touch on that soon) and they have one of the best 1200/1600 combos in the NCAA.

Their options at 800 meters will need to improve, but what an effort by the Ducks.

Arkansas Razorbacks (10:49)

It almost feels like it doesn't matter who Arkansas has in their DMR lineup this year. As long as Lauren Gregory is their anchor, they have a shot of winning any race they are in.

Seeing Mary Ellen Eudaly on the lead-off leg was a bit of a surprise. I thought Isabel Van Camp would have been a much safer option given her experience and mile prowess. Of course, we haven't seen Van Camp race since mid-January, so it's probably safe to assume that her season is done. And truthfully, Eudaly executed her job to perfection.

But to not have Britton Wilson on this relay (not ideal) and have Lainey Quandt split 2:05 on the 800 meter leg (very ideal) are two things that I was not expecting. And yet, this group was still able to put Lauren Gregory in a position to win.

Gregory has come up just short of the win in her last two DMR efforts, but she can absolutely help this team secure the national title if she's fresh. She's only qualified for the indoor national meet in the mile right now, so she'll need to snag a top 3k mark next week. Still, it feels like there's a state of panic from other teams whenever she gets the baton within striking distance of the leaders.

BYU Cougars (10:49)

I think there is a very legitimate argument to be had that Coach Diljeet Taylor could win women's distance coach of the year in our "End of Season" awards. She has taken numerous underclassmen and has immediately developed them into national-caliber talents.

Taylor Rohatinsky continues to thrive despite her rookie inexperience. She split 3:20 on the opening leg and was just fast as her competitors (other than Kazimierska). Alena Ellsworth's 2:03 (800) split continues to make her one of the more reliable middle distance talents in the country and Sadie Sargent's 4:31 split was almost enough to take down an elite field.

BYU ran 10:49 in the DMR without Riley Chamberlain or Claire Seymour. Does anyone understand how impressive that is? BYU is a team of the future that will eventually be feared by every distance program in the NCAA just like they were in the winter of 2021.

Oklahoma State Cowgirls (10:50)

The fact that the Oklahoma State women weren't under the 10:50 barrier makes it seem like they weren't in contention to win this race. But Taylor Roe was in the mix at the very end despite having to make up some ground.

In my eyes, this group could still win the national title come March.

The Cowgirls' only weakness came in the center of their lineup. Their middle distance talents were comparatively slower relative to their competition, but that is also something that we anticipated could happen.

But Galvydyte (3:19) and Roe (4:31) are so darn good at each end of this DMR lineup. And if Roe is fresh for the DMR like we expect her to be, then she'll be a very dangerous anchor against groups like Washington, Oregon and Arkansas whose anchors will likely be running on tired legs.

Kentucky Wildcats (10:53)

I definitely owe an apology to the Kentucky women. I really liked their group as a whole and I sang their praises after they threw down incredible 1000 meter times back in January. But their 800 meter times this winter haven't fully translated and no one has run faster than 4:45 in the mile this winter.

That, however, didn't matter. Sydney Steely split 3:20 after stepping up to the 1200 meter leg better than I expected her to. Jenna Schwinghamer's 2:03 split over the half-mile distance gave Kentucky a key edge and Tori Herman was incredibly poised despite facing a handful of juggernaut milers and splitting a few seconds slower (4:36).

On paper, it's not surprising that Kentucky ran this time. But they had to have everyone run at or near their best. And outside of that 1k race from Vanderbilt, we just hadn't seen that...until Friday night, that is.

Here are a handful of other key performances that aren't related to the DMR, but deserve some recognition...

Yes, it is DMR week, but there were a few other results from Friday night that are important for the larger national picture. These aren't necessarily short enough to be classified as "Quick Hits," but I'm not sure that they need their own sections on DMR week, either.

Here we go...

Oregon Women Post Monster Mile Times After Doubling Back From DMR

Klaudia Kazimierska will probably end up being the overall MVP (or "MVR" in this case) of the weekend. The rising Oregon star, after running 4:33 in the mile last weekend, looks like she is peaking at the perfect time.

The Polish middle distance ace crushed her 1200 meter leg with a huge 3:17 split and then came back a few hours later in the mile. In that race, she made a hard kick around the curve and kicked home to a new mile PR of 4:32 (and the overall win).

For Kazimierska to run that fast on the double while also trying to navigate around a relentless teammate in Izzy Thornton-Bott is insanely impressive. And with a pair of 4:32 mile marks, I now feel super confident about these Lady Ducks being able to double back for the DMR at the indoor national meet.

Also, Maddy Elmore running a 4:35 mile PR in that same race feels super encouraging. She gives the Ducks some lineup flexibility if they don't want Kazimierska or Thornton-Bott doubling back in the DMR (from the mile) at the indoor national meet.

I love the upwards progression that we've seen from Elmore this year. She has done everything right and has risen the occasion on a consistent basis. The future of the Oregon women looks very bright.

Britton Wilson Runs 2:02 in 800 Meter Debut, Kelly-Ann Beckford Runs 2:02

When Arkansas' Britton Wilson ran a jaw-dropping time of 1:25.16 to break the 600 meter collegiate record, there was plenty of speculation about what she could run over 800 meters. The Razorbacks do, after all, have a history of 400 meter talents moving up and finding success over the half-mile distance.

Well, sure enough, Wilson made her collegiate 800 meter debut on Friday night, running an incredible time of 2:02 for the distance. That mark gave her an overall win while also taking down former Razorback Shafiqua Maloney and Houston talent Kelly-Ann Beckford.

Truthfully, there isn't much to say here. Wilson is one of the most naturally talented middle distance runners in the NCAA right now. And after seeing how fast she ran over 600 meters, it shouldn't at all be surprising that she ran 2:02 over 800 meters.

It also feels unlikely that she'll actually contest that event on the national stage.

But for Beckford, this is a very interesting result.

People forget that prior to coming to Houston this past summer, Beckford was the D2 national champion over 800 meters last spring. She was a solid talent known for her incredible speed and promising development, but a 2:05 (800) PR kept her a ways out from being in the national qualifying conversation.

However, we then saw this Houston ace go from running 2:09 to 2:05 to 2:04 to now 2:02 over the last two months. Her progression has been astounding and she is seemingly peaking at the right time.

There are now 11 women who have run 2:03 for 800 meters, none by conversion. The women's 800 meter field continues to emerge as the deepest it's ever been...by a lot.

UCLA's Ronan McMahon-Staggs Drops Massive 3:54 Mile PR

Wow, what a race by Ronan McMahon-Staggs. The UCLA runner has been having a very good season, running 3:56 in the mile the other week to improve upon a 3:57 mile time in his season debut.

Sure, McMahon-Staggs ran a huge 3:54 mile PR this past weekend, but that's not necessarily what impressed us. It's more so how he did it.

At Arkansas, the UCLA product battled with Arkansas alum and Puma pro, Amon Kemboi. The Bruin runner was hanging tough on the last lap, but it looked like Kemboi's positioning and pacing was going to be too much for McMahon-Staggs to navigate around.

However, the recent breakout star of this indoor track season unleashed a big kick in the final straightaway, taking down the pro runner and cementing himself as a legitimate All-American threat.

Right now, McMahon-Staggs has a near-perfect resume. He has run the mile three times this season in a variety of different fields and racing scenarios. He has improved his PR every single time that he has toed the line and he just took down a very talented name.

Sure, he doesn't have national meet experience or the same (proven) range that other distance talents have. Still, he's consistent and peaking at the right time.

Watch out for him come March.

Duncan Hamilton Earns Massive 3:52.99 Mile Conversion

I don't think there is really much to talk about here.

Is Duncan Hamilton's 3:52.99 mile conversion impressive?

Yes, it may be the most impressive individual performance of this weekend. Running a 4:01 mile on Montana State's 200 meter flat track at 4900 feet of elevation is so. darn. hard. It deserves a ton of respect.

But Hamilton has been known to drop insane altitude and flat-track conversions before. And truthfully, I just don't know if this performance tells us a lot. It's a great strength-based result, but it doesn't necessarily tell us anything about his turnover like this time would suggest at sea level.

To be clear, I'm not saying that this result is any less impressive just because of the conversion. I just don't know if anyone is walking away from Hamilton's result thinking that it changes our perception of him.

And our perception of him is still very favorable.