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First Thoughts (Part One): Liam Murphy, Marco Langon & Gary Martin Just Broke the NCAA 1500m Record (And A Few Other Races Happened, Too)
The first day of the Raleigh Relays is all wrapped up. And despite there being only four distance races to cover in total, the results that popped up on our computer screens last night left us in complete awe.
If you haven't already, be sure to go check out our YouTube page where we have A TON of post-race interviews being posted throughout the next few days at the Raleigh Relays!
Alright, let's jump into the analysis, shall we?
Liam Murphy Breaks NCAA 1500m Record in 3:33.02 at Raleigh Relays While Marco Langon & Gary Martin Also Run 3:33 to Break Former Record
Where do we even start?
Going into Thursday, I viewed Gary Martin as the favorite to take home the overall win in the men's 1500 meters at the Raleigh Relays. He did, after all, run 3:48 in the mile during the winter months and proved to be the better overall distance talent over Liam Murphy and Marco Langon, both of Villanova, on the indoor oval.
Sure, both Murphy and Langon had defeated Martin in a head-to-head(-to-head) mile matchup back in January. However, plenty has changed since then, and it truthfully seemed like a lot to ask the Wildcat duo to once again upend Martin at his ideal distance.
But as fate would have it, that is exactly what happened. And not only did Murphy and Langon hold off Martin once more, but they also threw down the two fastest 1500-meter times in NCAA history on Thursday afternoon.
Murphy crossed the line with a jaw-dropping 1500-meter time of 3:33.02, breaking the former NCAA record of 3:33.74 which was held by Alabama's Eliud Kipsang from the spring of 2021. Not far behind Murphy was his teammate, Marco Langon, who ran 3:33.38 for the NCAA #2 all-time mark. Virginia's Gary Martin snagged 3rd place, narrowly securing the NCAA #3 all-time result.
So what does this result mean for Murphy and Langon? What does it mean for Martin?
Both Murphy and Langon have some of the best all-around talent in the entire country. They also seemingly have enough raw fitness to take down a phenom-type talent and have it not be a fluke. They did, after all, defeat Martin at his ideal distance for the second time in three months.
However, the path to NCAA gold this spring is likely easier over 5000 meters than it will be over 1500 meters. For as good as Martin and North Carolina's Ethan Strand are, they would likely be at a disadvantage in the 5k national title race compared to Murphy and Langon.
Of course, neither Murphy nor Langon were exceptionally elite over 5000 meters at the indoor national meet (placing 11th and 6th, respectively). And based on their latest result, they have also proven that they can at least contend for a national title over 1500 meters.
After all, you don't just run a collegiate record by accident.
But let's put the national title conversation aside for a moment. What Murphy and Langon accomplished on Thursday is incredibly special, even if we've become numb to the uber-fast times in a new era of NCAA track and field.
Two teammates both ran under the old collegiate record in the same race in their season debuts. Not only that, but in the process, they both took down an all-time superstar in his primary event despite that same name also dipping under the former NCAA record.
But that's not the craziest part! It's not unreasonable to assume that the NCAA record over 1500 meters will drop even further over the next few months. By the time June rolls around, the Villanova duo may not even be among the top-two on the national leaderboard in that event!
As for Martin, it's hard to be critical of someone who broke the NCAA record over 1500 meters in his season debut...but "only" sits at NCAA #3 all-time.
This is now the second time that Martin has lost to both Liam Murphy and Marco Langon in a regular season mile/1500-meter battle. And truthfully, that's surprising. After all, this is someone who, throughout the winter months, emerged as one of the most elite milers in NCAA history.
In Martin's defense, the 1500-meter finals on the national stage almost certainly won't be as fast as what we just saw in Raleigh. However, Thursday did humanize the Virginia superstar who, with the exception of Ethan Strand, seemed to be borderline untouchable on the track.
Even so, don't read too heavily into this loss. Martin still broke the old NCAA record and lost to two men who have been on absolute fire as of late.
Of course, the Murphy, Langon and Martin were not the only three men who produced all-time marks in North Carolina last night. In that same race, we saw Cornell's Damian Hackett and Texas A&M's Cooper Cawthra drop a pair of MONSTER 1500-meter PRs, each running 3:36, respectively.
Make no mistake, I've been fairly high on Hackett for the last year and a half. I think he is, tactically, one of the more underrated milers in the country. Plus, it's clear that his fitness had taken a step up in 2025 (and that was before this past Thursday). Even so, I did not see this Cornell veteran running 3:36 for 1500 meters at any point in his career. That's an absurd mark which suddenly makes the Ivy League star one of the most complete milers in the country.
As for Cawthra, he continues to legitimize my suspicions that he's among the biggest breakout stars in the NCAA right now. Remember, he ran 3:54 in the mile this past winter and recently split 3:51 on the anchor leg to give his Texas A&M teammates a 4th place All-American finish in the DMR. Those efforts put him on a hot streak that very few collegians can match right now.
And yet, I would be lying if I said that I expected him to run 3:36 for 1500 meters this spring. Now, we have to start reevaluating the All-American picture for June, especially if the rising Aggie star can translate his fitness into tactical refinement.
Cornell's Pierre Attiogbe and Yale's Owen Karas both ran 3:37 for 1500 meters as well, but are just being mentioned in passing right now. These are two additional men who I have been fairly high on, but...seeing them both run 3:37? Before we even get to the month of April? That's a leap in fitness that I didn't realize they were waiting to unleash.
Keep an eye on both Attiogbe and Karas moving forward. The former is a still-young distance star who has acclimated to the NCAA scene incredibly well. His maturity as a racer is far beyond what it should be. Karas, meanwhile, has shown national-caliber promise for the last few years, but this was the first race where he truly made a statement. Don't be surprised if he's able to emerge as a legitimate challenger in the postseason.
Luca Santorum (Texas A&M), Daelen Ackley (Notre Dame) and Joe Ewing (Harvard) each ran 3:39 (1500) in Raleigh, with the former two men competing in the top heat while Ewing won his section. Those marks aren't necessarily surprising for each of those athletes given their prior credentials, but I did think that it would take until the latter-half of the season for us to see them run that fast.
Eastern Kentucky's Kristian Imroth Secures Statement Steeplechase Win at Raleigh Relays in 8:33 as Five Other Collegians Go Sub-8:40
Am I shocked that Eastern Kentucky's Kristian Imroth won the steeple title at Raleigh Relays? No, I am not. Am I stunned that he ran an 8:33 PR in that event? Also no, that's not a surprise to me.
But am I still impressed by this win? Yes, I definitely am.
Imroth first popped onto our radar last spring when he secured a strong win in the steeplechase at the Penn Relays. His winning time of 8:35 was eventually followed by a national qualifying result, although he admittedly struggled in his season finale.
Given what Imroth accomplished in 2024, and the promising winter campaign that he is fresh off of, it shouldn't come as a shock that he ran a two-second PR on Thursday. The real question now is, what does he do from here?
Can this Colonel star be better prepared for a run at All-American honors come June? He'll likely need to drop even more time to be in that conversation, but this was a big-time marquee win that deserves major respect.
Behind Imroth was Puma pro Amon Kemboi as well as Colorado's Kole Mathison (8:37), Akron's Bismack Kipchirchir (8:37), Wingate's Soheil Boufrizi (8:38), Texas A&M's Victor Kibiego (8:39) and Middle Tennessee State's Allan Kiplagat (8:39).
Of those men, Mathison's performance is probably the most important. The Buffalo sophomore was an elite recruit in high school and has flashed moments of promise over the last year or so. However, this was the first mark which suggested that he can be an All-American as soon as this spring.
With youth-based upside under his legs, Thursday's result was likely a massive momentum booster for the still-young Buff. And don't forget, this was a guy who qualified for the outdoor national meet in 2024.
As for Boufrizi, an 8:38 mark in the steeplechase this early in the season is a promising sign as long as he is able to continue improving. The NCAA D2 record of 8:26 may be too big of an ask for the Wingate standout, but his chances of winning the D2 national title are as strong as they have ever been.
We then come to Victor Kibiego, the steeplechase ace who, at his very best, is an All-American favorite in this event. However, the Texas A&M star also showcased plenty of inconsistency last spring and right now, it looks like we're set to see more inconsistency from him over the next few months.
Wake Forest's Rocky Hansen Cruises to 13:22 (5k) Victory at Raleigh Relays
I truthfully don't have much to say when it comes to the men's 5000 meters. This race was VERY predictable, so much so that I perfectly predicted Hansen's winning time of 13:22.
It seems fairly clear that the goal for Hansen was to put forth an honest effort, secure the win and run a fast enough time to comfortably qualify himself for the East Regional Championships. Sure enough, he did all of that.
Wingate's Titouan Le Grix had a strong run as well, dropping a time of 13:28 (5k) for 2nd place. He continues to be one of the most all-around dangerous distance runners in Division Two. The Bulldog star is on a hot streak after winning the D2 mile national title the other weekend and continues to flex range that would rival a handful of top talents at the Division One level.
I also loved what we saw from Bailey Habler. The Villanova redshirt rookie was someone who I was high on, but he still beat expectations with a bronze medal result and a 13:28 (5k) PR.
I said before the meet that Habler was likely at his best over 5000 meters, at least over the long-term. And so far, that suspicion has held true in his lone collegiate 5k effort.
Sure, teammates Dan Watcke, Marco Langon and Liam Murphy may be the headline stars of this program for now, but Habler could end up being just as good by the time his senior year rolls around. Don't be surprised if Habler continues to ride this hot streak all the way to a near-sub-13:20 (5k) clocking later this season.
Missouri's Drew Rogers Scores Statement 10k Win in 28:14 as Four Other Collegians Go Sub-28:20
I remember when Drew Rogers was recruited out of high school, opting to sign with Missouri. I was excited for the Tigers to land a domestic recruit with enough raw talent to (eventually) be a top-tier name in the SEC.
However, the first years of his NCAA career weren't all that exciting.
But a couple years and two coaching changes later, and it looks like Rogers has begun to evolve into a legitimate distance star. If that wasn't evident via his upset 3000-meter win at the SEC Indoor Championships this past winter, then it was certainly evident on Thursday night as he won the Raleigh Relays 10k title in 28:14.
Rogers is becoming increasingly more dangerous with each passing season. He won the U20 American title over 5000 meters in June of 2023 before he was redshirted for his 2024 track seasons. He then thrived on the grass this past fall, placing 11th at the SEC XC Championships. On the indoor oval, he 7:53 (3k) and 13:45 (5k), both times coming at the SEC Indoor Championships, and he just earned a resume-defining 10k win in 28:14.
When you consider the lethal finishing speed that he displayed this past winter, Rogers is looking like one of the fastest-rising distance stars in the NCAA. He has flexed subtle signs of being a well-rounded ace and it's clear from his recent 10k result that he can be much faster over 5000 meters later this spring.
It's taken some time, but under the direction of Coach Kyle Levermore, Rogers has evolved into a runner who I would not want to face in the postseason come May and maybe even June.
As for everyone else, it feels like it may be best to utilize the "three sentences or less" rule for the remaining sub-28:20 (10k) runners. Let's wrap this up with those men, shall we?
Joseph O'Brien (Wake Forest): We have really liked what we've seen from Joseph O'Brien on the grass, but Thursday night felt like the first time where he truly thrived on the oval. A narrow runner-up finish in a time of 28:15 (10k) has to feel good for someone who had shown so many promising signs of aerobic strength earlier in his career. And more importantly, that result likely sets up the Wake Forest star for even greater success in the fall.
Aidan O'Gorman (North Florida): When it comes to the 10k distance on the track, few men have been more underrated than Aidan O'Gorman. The North Florida product qualified for the outdoor national meet in that event in the spring of 2023, but seems to even stronger as of late. With four personal bests in his last four meets, the latest being a 28:18 (10k) mark, don't be surprised if this Osprey star is able to put himself on the national stage once more in 2025.
Birhanu Harriman (Georgetown): We saw Birhanu Harriman flex subtle signs of promise on the grass and the indoor oval earlier this year. However, a 28:19 (10k) clocking far surpasses our expectations for the redshirt rookie. If he's able to have this much success despite having such little inexperience, then what can he do with tons of upside and more reps in such a challenging event?
Ethan Coleman (Notre Dame): I can't say I'm too surprised by Ethan Coleman. His 28:19 (10k) performance wasn't all too shocking given what he has accomplished over the last year or so. However, we're still waiting for him to take that next step, something that could happen this spring if he's able to build off of his latest result.
