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First Thoughts: Parker Valby Returns via DMR, Nathan Green Posts Another Lethal 800-Meter Time & Amy Bunnage's All-Time 5k Effort
- Admin (Garrett Zatlin)
- Feb 24, 2024
- 7 min read
Conference championship weekend is in full swing, leaving us at The Stride Report to sift through an ever-expanding ocean of results. While we won't be able to cover every single conference champion, we did want to highlight some of the top performances that altered the national qualifying picture or overall NCAA landscape in some way, shape or form.
This article may be a touch lighter than usual, but you can be assured that we still have plenty of analysis below with more coming tomorrow. Let's dive in, shall we?
Parker Valby Returns, Splits 4:31 On DMR Anchor Leg
Let's start with the name that everyone always wants to know more about: Parker Valby. The Florida megastar made history back in December when she ran a jaw-dropping time of 14:56 for 5000 meters. But since then, she's been absent, waiting in the shadows as the national leaderboard fills out.
Of course, it hasn't at all been a surprise to see Valby remain on the sidelines this winter. The Gator ace has a history of injury and often adopts a very limited racing schedule until the postseason swings around.
However, if Valby was going to return to racing, then we thought it would be only be in the 3000 meters at the SEC Championships, a race that will be taking place later today (or already has taken place depending on when you're reading this). But instead, Valby was placed on a stacked Florida DMR where she anchored her team to an excellent 10:53 mark via a quick 4:31 split.
I really liked what Coach Will Palmer did with that DMR. The Gators have a relay that currently sit at NCAA #13 on the national leaderboard. However, if you take out Notre Dame's "B" team, then Florida is the last distance medley relay into the national meet (but only barely). And if just one more team runs faster than them, then Florida's DMR won't be on the national stage.
Yes, it's true, Florida was unable improve their seasonal best time on Friday, posting a mark of 10:53. However, as I'm typing this, the only realistic DMR threat left remaining is Harvard. If the Crimson women decide to go all-out at the Ivy League Championships, then they could snag the final qualifying spot, but that is a tall task in a field that won't be pushing the Harvard.
While still recognizing the national qualifying scenario at hand, Coach Will Palmer was also able to put Parker Valby in a position to knock-off some rust, refine her speed a bit and introduce her back into racing prior to the women's 3k this evening.
With a 4:31 anchor split, we can feel confident that Valby is at least healthy and fit as we near the national meet. That in and of itself should be considered a major win. Historically, that hasn't necessarily been a guarantee for her every season.
Nathan Green Further Refines Speed, Drops Strong 1:46 PR Over 800 Meters On Home Track
Gosh, it's hard to dislike the trend of performances that we've seen from Nathan Green in recent weeks. His turnover has been incredibly lethal this winter, thriving in the middle distances and refusing to have a poor race.
After initially posting a 3:53 mile effort a little less than a month and a half ago, Green ventured to Boston. At the New Balance Grand Prix, an elite pro field dragged the Husky star to a phenomenal mark of 2:18.56 for 1000 meters, one of the fastest times in NCAA history.
From there, Green split 1:46 on Washington's DMR and doubled back that same day to run 1:47 for the open 800 meters. And now, this past Friday, Green followed a handful of pros to an eye-catching 800-meter PR of 1:46.50.
It's becoming increasingly more clear that there isn't another miler in the country who has the raw speed that Green has. Of course, that's something that we already learned last spring after all of his postseason success.
It would truthfully come as a surprise if Green scratched the mile at the NCAA Indoor Championships in favor of the 800 meters. Coach Andy Powell showed last year that he is willing to pack a singular event even if the point scoring would be more optimally constructed with a different set of entries.
Even so, I can't help but wonder if the 800 meters makes more sense for Green to pursue at the national meet? Truthfully, the men's national half-mile field isn't all that top-heavy this this winter. And while Yusuf Bizimana is the clear and overwhelming half-mile favorite, the battle for silver could very easily be won by Green. In fact, you could maybe make the argument that he would be favored to do so -- he's simply been that good.
If the Huskies are trying to maximize team points, then placing Green in that event would theoretically make sense. Of course, a big reason why the Washington men have had so much success at the mile distance over the last few years is because they have been able to work together beautifully in those mile and 1500-meter finals.
Again, I highly doubt that Green scratches the mile for the 800 meters. After all, contesting the former event would allow him to effectively double back to the DMR if absolutely necessary. Even so, I just wanted to put that on everyone's radar...
Stanford's Amy Bunnage Drops Monster 15:11 (5k) PR, Colorado's Ella Baran Runs 15:26
When Amy Bunnage first came into the NCAA, most fans (who read The Stride Report) knew that she was an elite Aussie youngster. She did, after all, hold personal bests of 8:51 (3k) and 15:21 (5k) prior to coming to Palo Alto.
After a strong cross country season, Bunnage wouldn't race again until mid-January. However, an unexciting 9:03 (3k) performance left us thinking, "Well, this will probably be an adjustment season," given that her prior resume held no known existence of indoor track experience.
Of course, Bunnage would come back almost a month later to drop an outstanding mark of 8:54 for 3000 meters! That was a highly encouraging sign that Bunnage would be able translate her prior success immediately to the indoor oval. Even so, the Cardinal freshman was still on the fringes of national qualifying.
And then Fright night happened.
If you had told me that Amy Bunnage would run in the 15:30s range for 5000 meters this past weekend, I wouldn't have been surprised. In fact, if you had told me that she would run in the 15:20s range for 5000 meters this past weekend, I still wouldn't have been surprised. And if you could have somehow convinced me that she was going to run under 15:20, then I would have assumed that it was only by a second or two.
Of course, it was not.
Instead, Bunnage thrived in a loaded field of established pro runners and a small handful of top-tier collegiates. The Stanford star stuck with a fast-paced group for as long as she could and admirably hung on for long enough to be pulled to a 15:11 (5k) personal best.
Because Bunnage posted that 5k time on an oversized track, her latest effort won't officially count towards the NCAA record books. However, when you review the "all conditions, all bests" list, the Australian talent now sits as the fourth-fastest indoor 5k collegian of all-time.
We could go on and on about the national meet implications of this result, but the core narrative around that topic is simple. Amy Bunnage is naturally one of the most talented long distance runners in the NCAA, but can her raw fitness supersede her collegiate inexperience?
That's a question that we can address in our national meet preview(s), but this 5k time is a far greater result beyond the indoor national meet. From a long-term perspective, this feels like a definitive performance which truly tells us that Bunnage can eventually be more than just a top collegiate star -- she can be a true superstar.
Make no mistake, Bunnage was already throwing down excellent times prior to Friday. And outside of the NCAA XC Championships, she was a true low-stick ace this past fall. But running 15:11 for 5000 meters as a true freshman brings validation to the often cautious expectations that we place on elite youngsters of her caliber.
And as many of us know, not all former prep-level phenoms are guaranteed to have the same success at the NCAA level that Bunnage is already enjoying.
As for Ella Baran, the Colorado standout once again came through in the clutch. The former D3 ace for Johns Hopkins has enjoyed tremendous success during her time in Boulder, but has often been at her best in the late portions of each season. And after running an 8:57 (3k) mark two weeks ago, Baran is seemingly peaking at the perfect time once more, this time running a fantastic 5k mark of 15:26.
Is that performance impressive? Yes, definitely. That's arguably the best result that we have seen Baran produce in her collegiate career. Even so, it's still hard to properly gauge how effective she'll be on the national stage in that event.
Come March 8th, Baran will have her hands full with numerous distance stars who have put themselves at the top of the women's all-time indoor 5k list. However, if the national meet is as fast paced as we think it will be, then Friday's outcome should be viewed as a very positive sign for this NCAA veteran.
Silan Ayyildiz Runs 8:54 (3k) to Emerge as Top Collegian at UW Ken Shannon Last Chance Invite
The Oregon women made headlines earlier this year when it was announced that Silan Ayyildiz was transferring from South Carolina to join the Ducks. And so far, that decision has turned out to be a brilliant one.
Ayyildiz was already a national-caliber name prior to this season, but it's clear that she has taken a step up in her fitness. She posted a 4:30/8:56 (mile/3k) weekend double two weeks ago and is now fresh off of an outstanding 8:54 (3k) personal best!
However, despite the incredible time, the odds are still stacked against Ayyildiz when it comes to qualifying for the national meet over 3000 meters. At the time that I am writing this, this Oregon star sits at NCAA #17. And if we're assuming that Parker Valby is going to run a national qualifying time over 3000 meters later today (albeit, in the "slower" heat), then Ayyildiz will probably end up at the NCAA #18 spot.
Should everything stand pat in the women's 3k, there is still a possibility that Ayyildiz can sneak into that race at the NCAA Indoor Championships. There are, after all, always one (maybe two) scratches in the 3k each year that surprise us.
Regardless, when looking at Ayyildiz's resume as a whole, it's hard to imagine that this Turkish distance ace wouldn't be a favorite to earn an All-American honor in two weeks. She has hit three different PRs in three different events this winter with her most impactful performances coming in recent weeks.
As long as she can get through the rounds, I don't see the newest Oregon miler fading too hard in the mile finals in Boston come March 9th.
