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First Thoughts: Parker Wolfe Wins ACC Title in First-Ever Outdoor 10k, Amaris Tyynismaa Continues to Build Momentum, Gabby Hentemann Returns to Top Form, Iowa State Men Go 1-2 & Surprising Early Exits
- Admin (Garrett Zatlin)
- May 10, 2024
- 12 min read
Thursday is all wrapped up and so are the first few distance races of the weekend. Last night gave us just a small taste of what the rest of this weekend could/will have in store for us.
For the sake of time, we're going to go in-depth on the Power Five 10k performances (and the women's BIG East 10k), but will also be sure to mention a handful of other results that caught our attention in the "Quick Hits" section.
Let's break down some of the recent performances from last night and see what insight / takeaways that we got from these results...
Parker Wolfe Wins ACC Title in First-Ever 10k
Going into the ACC Championships, North Carolina's Parker Wolfe was slated to attempt his first-ever 10k on a track. In that same field, he would face-off against sub-28:00 (10k) teammate Alex Phillip as well as Raleigh Relays 10k champion, Will Anthony (Virginia).
And yet, Wolfe's inexperience simply didn't matter.
The Tar Heel superstar was simply more fit than everyone else and he pulled away to run a time of 29:15, putting a three-second gap on Anthony who earned a quietly great finish over Alex Phillip.
After a performance like that, some may wonder if Wolfe would opt to contest the 10k at the East Regional Championships in addition to the 5k. The only problem? There is very little chance that he even qualifies for the regional meet with that time, even after scratches.
And truthfully, even if he could qualify, it's still highly unlikely that Wolfe would actually contest the 10k on the national stage. He's super inexperienced in that event (at least on the oval) and he is far better in the 5k, a race that he would want to be fresh for.
As for Anthony, I really like that he got silver. He has just been so good this spring, seemingly elevating his fitness to a new tier. Taking down someone like Alex Phillip should not be a result that is simply brushed aside. Phillip earned one of the more impressive wins of the regular season and looked like a 10k All-American threat in that same Bryan Clay Invite race.
Don't take Anthony lightly once he reaches the national stage (assuming he qualifies). He also has 3:58 mile speed to pair with his excellent aerobic strength. In theory, that makes him plenty dangerous.
Amaris Tyynismaa Cruises to Comfortable ACC 10k Title
Detailing the women's 10k race at the ACC Championships last night would largely be a negligible exercise. All that you really need to know is that NC State's Amaris Tyynismaa was head and shoulders above the field.
Her final 10k time of 33:42 was respectable, but what the final results don't show you was how relaxed this Wolfpack ace was. In the latter portions of this 10k battle, Tyynismaa looked to the sidelines of the back straightaway, potentially awaiting a sign from her coach as to when she could make her move. And once she did, gold was hers.
Video via @Wolfpack_TFXC // X.com
The final time and the win admittedly weren't surprising for Tyynismaa who was heavily favored to win Thursday night's race. However, this effort does stack another encouraging performance onto the resume of this long distance talent who has been rallying back from an injury that she was working through in the fall.
After running 15:40 (5k) at the Wake Forest Invitational last month and putting together a 32:52/4:19 (10k/1500) weekend double at the Raleigh Relays, Tyynismaa is looking more and more like the 5k All-American that she was last year -- and she's seemingly coming into form at just the right time.
Sure, she'll face far greater competition in the future, but this was a nice way to kick-off her postseason endeavors.
As for Notre Dame's Arianne Olson, this feels like her true introduction to the NCAA. She had already run 16:07 (5k) earlier this season in her first-ever collegiate race wearing a Fighting Irish singlet and was a true star in high school. A 33:56 (10k) mark isn't going to drop any jaws, but beating Syracuse's Savannah Roark, Virginia's Camryn Menninger and Notre Dame's Erin Strzelecki as a true freshman certainly caught my attention.
Also, great run by Georgia Tech sophomore Kate Jortberg. She ran a 33:57 PR in this event earlier this season and now has a top-five scoring finish at the ACC Championships on her resume. And after seeing her produce numerous personal bests this spring, it seems safe to say that this Yellow Jacket runner could be fairly competitive in the future.
Victor Kiprop Takes Down SEC Field to Win 10k Title in Surprisingly Tactical Race
Alabama veteran Victor Kiprop walked away from last night's 10k race with an SEC title after he did enough to defeat the likes of Patrick Kiprop (Arkansas), Yaseen Abdalla (Tennessee), Kirami Yego (Arkansas) and his newest teammate, Dennis Kipruto.
Kiprop's final time was a 29:36 mark, a surprisingly slow time given that Patrick Kiprop, Kirami Yego and even Victor Kiprop himself have been known to be the aggressive pace pushers. However, this does give me a little bit more confidence that Kiprop can fare well in a tactical setting on the national stage.
Admittedly, the tacticians who Kiprop will be racing against on the national stage are far more lethal, but this Alabama ace has been making subtle improvements on his intangibles and is leaning less and less on just raw talent. That's a good thing as we prepare to dive deeper into championship season.
I don't have much more to discuss about this race...except for one thing.
Where is Peter Maru?
The Arkansas rookie made headlines during the winter with his explosive and exciting long distance talent, often choosing to be the aggressor in a variety of race scenarios. However, he has yet to race this season and isn't in the SEC Championship entries. This likely means that he's redshirting which I imagine is a big relief to a handful of All-American hopefuls in the 5k this spring.
Hilda Olemomoi Earns Comfortable 10k Win as Paityn Noe Also Runs Under 34 Minutes
There truthfully isn't much to talk about when it comes to Hilda Olemomoi. She was the overwhelming favorite to win the SEC 10k title and sure enough, she delivered on expectations. And while I'd like to offer some original insight, I don't think we learned anything new about the Kenyan junior.
Let's briefly chat about Arkansas freshman Paityn Noe. Her runner-up effort last night came with a 33:57 (10k) mark. And when you pair that performance with her 16:02 (5k) and 33:11 (10k) personal bests from earlier this spring, I can't help but wonder...could this rookie qualify for the outdoor national meet?
Noe was really strong during the fall months, acting as a consistent low-stick ace for most of the cross country season. And after not racing during the winter, the Razorback freshman hasn't lost a step when toeing the line on the outdoor oval.
I'll admit, I don't necessarily love all of the options in the women's West region 10k this year when it comes to predicting national qualifiers. And while I would usually eschew the idea of a freshman advancing to the national meet in the 10k, I may make an exception for Noe.
Also, strong 3rd place run for Emily Covert. She's not in her prior All-American form, but she has returned to a competitive tier this season which is nice to see.
Oh, and one more thing: Vanderbilt freshman Bria Bennis ran 16:05 (5k) earlier this season and just took 4th place overall at the SEC Championships in her first-ever 10k. That is a tremendous display of promise for the Commodore rookie.
Sanele Masondo Takes Down Top-Heavy BIG 12 10k Field as Said Mechaal Gives Iowa State a 1-2 Sweep
Now THIS is the Sanele Masondo who we've been waiting to see! THIS is the former JUCO standout who is delivering on his full potential that he flashed before coming to the NCAA.
For the most part, Masondo's 2023 cross country season was very underwhelming...until the NCAA XC Championships where he secured a stunning upper-half All-American finish basically out of nowhere. But after a promising 13:33 (5k) personal best at the Boston U. Season Opener, the Cyclone ace would go on to conclude an unexciting winter campaign.
However, this spring, Masondo has been excellent. The JUCO transfer has finally begun to establish consistency and string together great race after great race. He initially ran 28:54 (10k) at the Stanford Invitational and later put together a 28:35/13:36 (10k/5k) weekend double at the Bryan Clay Invitational.
And on Thursday night, Masondo defeated multiple men who no one would be surprised about if they became All-Americans in June.
However, maybe the most important part of this win is that Masondo won with a great finishing kick, something that pure long distance runners like himself aren't always known for. In a tight pack of four men going into the last lap, the Iowa State standout actually found himself behind teammate Said Mechaal and Oklahoma State's Adisu Guadia.
For a moment, it looked Masondo was out of contention for the win. However, Mechaal was in the lead and continuously looked back to see where his teammate was. And somehow, Mechaal kept a hard-charging Guadia at bay which allowed Masondo to get back to the leaders and kick home for the win. Mechaal would grab runner-up honors.
Truthfully, I'm not sure if Masondo would have been in a position to win this race if Mechaal wasn't controlling lane one and fending off Guadia. Even so, last night was a very encouraging display of speed for someone who is more aerobic centric. And with momentum very clearly on his side, I can't help but wonder if Masondo should be considered an All-American contender in the 10k come June.
As for Mechaal, he may have gotten silver, but he was a major reason why the Cyclones went 1-2. His ability to recognize the position of his opposition and gauge his effort accordingly is really hard to do in a race that involves a kick like that. And truthfully, if Mechaal wasn't trying to get Masondo into contention for a 1-2 sweep, I can't help but wonder if he was the guy who would have won this race.
Keep an eye out for Mechaal moving forward. He has been so solid across the board this year. He isn't quite an All-American threat (yet), but he has turned into one of the more reliable nationally competitive runners in the country.
As for Adisu Guadia, it may not have been the result that he wanted, but at least he was competitive and made this a race. Said Mechaal certainly didn't do him any favors on the final lap and when you look at who he beat, there is a lot more good that Guadia can take away from this race than not.
Rounding out the top-five was Ernest Cheruiyot (Texas Tech) and Joey Nokes (BYU), a duo that finished in 4th place and 5th place, respectively. Admittedly, those results aren't exactly encouraging. Both of those of runners have proven to be incredibly talented, but it's clear that they fare better in aggressive, fast-paced scenarios rather than something more tactical.
As we prepare for the regional and national meets, being able to respond to late-race moves in a slower race setting will almost certainly be required if certain men are going to, a) qualify for the national meet, and b) earn upper-half finishes at the NCAA Outdoor Championships.
Gabby Hentemann Shows Return to Form, Secures BIG 12 10k Title Over Eva Jess
Oklahoma State veteran Gabby Hentemann comfortably secured the BIG 12 title over 10,000 meters on Thursday night. And although, Texas' Eva Jess took over the lead with 2000 meters to go, Hentemann simply sat on the shoulder of her conference rival until the final 400 meters where she easily kicked away from Jess and secured gold.
Hentemann has had limited availability over the last year of racing. Her 2023 outdoor track season ended after the Stanford Invite in early March where she ran 33:17 (10k). She was then a DNF at the Cowboy Jamboree during the cross country season, sat on the sidelines for the rest of the fall months and had two unexciting results during the 2024 indoor track season.
But in her two races this spring, Hentemann has been very solid. The Cowgirl ace posted a time of 33:27 (10k) at the Stanford Invite and comfortably secured a conference title in the same event.
Admittedly, last night's 10k field wasn't exactly the most competitive race that Hentemann has ever been in, although Eva Jess deserves some respect given that she has run under 33 minutes this spring.
In a West region 10k field that seems relatively wide-open, it wouldn't surprise me if Hentemann, who was a 2022 All-American in the 10k, returned to the national stage in a few weeks time.
Chloe Scrimgeour Runs 32:26 in First-Ever 10k Race to Win BIG East Title, Laura Mooney Runs 33:16 For Silver
Leave it to Chloe Scrimgeour to have such a great performance that she forces us to deviate from the Power Five-centric analysis of this article.
The Georgetown star continues to show that she is an aerobic machine, thriving in her first-ever 10k race on Thursday night at the BIG East Outdoor Championships. This race was mostly a battle between Scrimgeour and Providence veteran Laura Mooney. But around two-thirds of the way in, the Hoya ace hit the gas and established an insurmountable gap.
Despite having never run a 10k before, Scrimgeour still earned a fantastic PR of 32:36 at that distance to secure a conference title. And during the latter portion of this race, she was racing mostly alone.
If Scrimgeour is able to run that well in her first-ever 10k, then what can she do when she gets more reps under her belt at this distance? How will she respond when she's actually pushed? How much faster do we think she can go?
Regardless of those answers, I think Chloe Scrimgeour should absolutely pursue the 10k/5k double at the regional and national stages. She has been incredibly reliable and has yet to have a poor race. And while both the women's 10k and the women's 5k looks incredibly top-heavy right now, there are few women who I feel better about being All-Americans at those distances that Scrimgeour.
As for Mooney, this was a really solid race that deserves some props. The Providence veteran has had a handful of great moments throughout her career, but had truthfully been struggling leading up to this outdoor track season.
However, the Friar runner produced a 33:00 (10k) PR and a 15:59 (5k) PR earlier this spring. And although she wasn't able to keep pace with Scrimgeour, Mooney still put forth a competitive effort and a strong mark. This is the best that she has looked in quite some time.
Key Names Do Not Advance to 1500m Or 800m Finals
In the SEC prelims over 800 meters, there weren't necessarily any names who crossed the finish line and were shockingly left out of the finals. However, according to the results, 1:46 man Oussama El Bouchayby (Alabama) didn't toe the line and Cade Flatt (Ole Miss) was listed as a DNF.
Not having El Bouchayby does sting a bit if you're Alabama and that also means that there is one less pace-pusher in the field for the 800-meter finals. As for Flatt, he's been racing on and off for the last few seasons. The former high school superstar hasn't been near his prior peak form (yet), but resting during the summer and fall months should allow him to effectively reset for next year...right?
As we turn our attention to the 1500-meter prelims at the BIG 12 Championships, we saw Lucas Bons (BYU), Yusuf Bizimana (Texas) and Tyler Wirth (Cincinnati) all fail to advance to the finals.
While this may seem like a surprising development for Bons, it should be noted that he had not raced since the mile finals at the NCAA Indoor Championships. That nonexistent racing schedule leading into the conference meet was certainly not a good sign.
Yusuf Bizimana not advancing to the 1500-meter finals isn't ideal, especially for someone who was once an All-American in the mile. Even so, him missing the finals is not the end of the world. Bizimana will still have his main event, the 800 meters, to focus on. And assuming that he qualifies for the finals at that distance, then he won't have to worry about the 1500-meter finals which come before the 800-meter finals.
And then there is Tyler Wirth, a Bearcat standout who has run 3:39 for 1500 meters this year. The Cincinnati runner has been great for the newly-inducted BIG 12 program over the last year and has also proven to be fairly dynamic. That's why I was surprised to see that he wouldn't be advancing to the finals in his best event this weekend.
At the ACC Championships in Atlanta, we saw both Daelen Ackley (Notre Dame) and Zach Hughes (NC State) end their 1500-meter campaigns in the prelims. Neither runner is a massive superstar, but both men have also been underrated at times and have proven to be very effective in the middle distances.
However, Thursday afternoon was more likely a fluke rather than an accurate representation of what we could expect to see from them at the East Regional Championships.
Quick Hits
My goodness, did anyone see how well the Butler men ran over 10,000 meters at the BIG East Outdoor Championships? The Bulldogs went 1-2-3 in the final results while both Will Minnette (28:54) and Florian LePallec (28:59) cracked the 29-minute barrier. Kudos to Coach Matt Roe who continues to put together some of the more underrated men's distance groups in the country.
Great 10k win by Colorado State's Sarah Carter at the Mountain West Championships. She ran 34:00 to defeat New Mexico ace Nicole Jansen who was 11 seconds behind. That's a pretty convincing margin of victory for Carter given how talented Jansen has proven to be.
Luke Combs had a HUGE race at the Mountain West Championships. Not only did he run 29:05 (10k) to set a new championship record (which surprised me, I thought the prior record would've been faster), but he also took down New Mexico's Vincent Chirhir by five seconds! On paper, Combs has arguably been just as good as Chirchir this season, but that doesn't make his win over a 13:34 (5k) and 28:19 (10k) runner any less impressive.
At the Army West Point Twilight meet, Army's Luke Griner and Columbia's Justin O'Toole both threw down 1:47 marks over 800 meters. That's not too surprising for Griner given how consistent he's been this year, but it seemed like Justin O'Toole had been struggling to return to form since mid-February. Thankfully, his latest result suggests that he may be nearing his prior peak level of fitness.
Sneaky-good run for the Princeton men over 1500 meters at the West Point Twilight meet. Sophomore Connor McCormick ran a great time of 3:40 while leading teammates Jack Stanley and rookie Collin Boler to 3:41 marks. Kudos to the Tigers who have showcased a lot of great all-around development this year.
Speaking of Princeton, at that same meet, Mena Scatchard posted a 2:03 (800) PR. She keeps posting great result after great result and I'm becoming increasingly closer to picking her as a national meet qualifier in my predictions.
