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First Thoughts (Rolling Updates): Aidan McCarthy's All-Time 800m Effort, Paityn Noe Runs 15:11 (5k) & Conference Championship Chaos
Updated: Mar 3, 2025
I have a love-hate relationship with NCAA Conference Championship weekend.
On one hand, I love the thrill of championship races taking place all over the country. There is plenty to talk about and the need for last-minute national qualifying times add an extra layer of urgency. But on the other hand, there is often A TON to discuss and it's admittedly hard to pick and choose which performances to highlight.
That's why, for this season, I'm going to try something different.
Rather than try to deep dive into every major performance possible, I'm going to touch on every distance race at each of the Power Four conference meets that has happened so far...but not be quite as long-winded. For other meets, I will simply highlight the results that I found to be notable or had national qualifying implications (likely on Sunday than Saturday).
And yes, I am writing this as the results are coming in, so stay tuned for Part Two if you don't see a certain performance that has already happened!
Let's give this a go, shall we?
ACC Indoor Championships
Men's 800 Meters
As expected, Virginia Tech's Nick Plant took home the ACC title over 800 meters. After a conservative first-half of his race, the Hokie star erupted over the final two laps. In the end, he finished just a half stride ahead of NC State's Patrick Tuohy, 1:46.94 to 1:46.98.
Sure, Plant's final result and in-race execution was commendable and deserves tons of respect. And yet, one of the NCAA's best pure racers over 800 meters isn't going to advance to the indoor national meet (as an individual) in that event! Plant currently sits at NCAA #22 on the national leaderboard and his latest effort won't be enough to put him on the national stage. That's a disappointing realization for someone who is so tactically excellent.
However, I may be just as impressed with Patrick Tuohy's performance. The younger brother of Katelyn Tuohy had never run under 1:48 for 800 meters before, but just skipped the 1:47 range, entirely. He nearly secured gold and if he hadn't made his defining move as early as he did, then I think he could have won this race.
Keep an eye on Tuohy when we reach the outdoor oval. He has a ton of momentum on his side right now.
Women's 800 Meters
This was one of the best races of Roisin Willis' career.
There, I said it.
Sure, the Stanford junior has won a national title before and has previously produced marks that were faster than 2:01 (800) on multiple occasions. However, in a tactical, but still-fast, 800-meter final at the ACC Indoor Championships, Willis executed her race plan perfectly.
The Cardinal ace positioned herself beautifully throughout the race. She hugged the outside shoulder of the leader (Clemson's Gladys Chepngetich), defended her attacking spot from UNC's Makayla Paige and swung off the curve with enough momentum to give herself a very narrow win.
There are likely a handful of other performances on Willis' resume that are flat-out better. But in terms of tactical execution, this was one of the single-best efforts that I have ever seen from the Palo Alto-based star.
As for everyone else, Clemson's Gladys Chepngetich showcased great composure in the late stages of this race. She was rewarded with a 2:01.39 (800) mark which further strengthens her national qualifying position. North Carolina's Makayla Paige didn't have her best race, but if Willis didn't protect her position as well as she did, then we could be talking about Paige as an ACC champion.
Also, Miami's Gabriella Grissom was part of that bunched pack at the finish line. Her time of 2:01.60 (800) is one of the single-most clutch performances of the weekend. That mark will be enough to put her on the national stage, something that didn't at all seem like a possibility given that she had never run under 2:03 for the half-mile distance before.
Men's Mile
Great upset win from Notre Dame's Daelen Ackley! The Fighting Irish runner has proven to be a great overall distance talent who is at his best in the mile. Even so, taking down a 3:52 miler in Steven Jackson in a tactical affair, while also getting early separation, is very impressive.
Ackley won't be competing at the indoor national meet this winter, but this conference title should give him fantastic momentum going into the spring months.
Women's Mile
You could argue that the women's mile finals at the ACC Indoor Championships was the most exciting race of the weekend. Going into the final lap, Virginia's Margot Appleton attempted to overtake NC State's Grace Hartman in an attempt to run away from everyone else. However, making up A TON of ground behind Appleton and Hartman was Clemson's Judy Kosgei who threw down a monster last lap kick.
In the end, Appleton passed Hartman over the final 100 meters to get the win, but not by much as Kosgei finished just one stride behind her. And in the final results, the trio of Appleton, Kosgei and Hartman had each run 4:26 mile times!
Seeing Appleton secure the ACC title isn't too shocking. She has been among the most elite postseason performers in the NCAA for the last few years. Plus, she just ran 4:25 in the mile a few weeks ago. Her latest result validates her recent PR and gives us the impression that maybe, just maybe, she can be a fringe contender for the mile national title in Virginia Beach.
Let's chat about Judy Kosgei.
Make no mistake, the former South Carolina runner was having a nice season, but the fastest mile time on her resume was a 4:33 mark from a few weeks ago. To drop an insane seven-second PR and fall just short of the conference title, and then come back to run 2:02.57 (800) and place 5th in the 800-meter finals, is extremely impressive.
Admittedly, Kosgei is a tricky name to gauge as we prepare for the indoor national meet. We've never doubted her absurd raw talent, but the indoor oval has historically been her least productive setting. There are also a handful of tactical adjustments that she'll need to refine (quickly) if she wants to make it to the mile finals at the NCAA Indoor Championships.
And yet, this is someone who is very clearly peaking right on time. That, in theory, makes her insanely dangerous on the national stage, especially if the rounds turn out to be as honest as they were at the ACC Championships.
As for Hartman, I truthfully don't have much to say about her actual performance. Running 4:26 in the mile and taking 3rd place doesn't really change our (very high) opinion of her.
However, seeing Hartman opt to race the mile instead of the 5k before the NCAA Indoor Championships leads me to believe that she'll try the 5k/3k double at the national meet (or at the very least, the DMR/3k double). That's not a guarantee, but athletes in her position often compete in an "off" event prior to the NCAA Indoor Championships in an effort to refine a certain aspect of their skillset.
Men's 3000 Meters
Seeing Virginia's Gary Martin win the ACC title over 3000 meters was fairly unsurprising, especially with both Parker Wolfe and Ethan Strand not in the field.
However, to see him run 7:36 (3k) to effectively match his PR in a championship race is impressive. And remember, this is the same guy who ran 13:30 for 5000 meters a few days ago!
Admittedly, we didn't really learn anything new about Martin. He's still as sharp as ever and it seems like he can handle multi-day doubles with relative ease. That should all play into his favor at the NCAA Indoor Championships in two weeks.
But how about Luke Tewalt? The Wake Forest star hung with Martin for longer than I thought he would, eventually settling for silver and a time of 7:39 (3k). That was a sneaky-great mark. A performance like that validates Tewalt's first 7:39 (3k) mark from earlier this season and, in turn, also boosts his All-American chances.
If the Demon Deacon ace is able to run 7:39 for 3000 meters in two very different race scenarios, then he should be able to match many of his fellow All-American contenders at the national meet if that pace is honest.
Women's 3000 Meters
Stanford's Sophia Kennedy just ran 8:47 for 3000 meters to win the ACC title over NC State's Hannah Gapes who was one second behind her. Virginia's Margot Appleton, while coming off of winning the mile finals in 4:26, ran 8:51 for 3000 meters to earn bronze.
When you look at her season as a whole, Kennedy is quickly becoming one of the last women who I would want to race right now. The sophomore is riding a tsunami-like wave of momentum by posting ridiculously fast times while taking down top-tier names in the process.
Sure, her youth is still something to monitor, but she is running absurdly well at the moment and is arguably the most dangerous non-national title contender in the longer distances right now.
As for Hannah Gapes, her performance was massive. An 8:48 (3k) will be enough for her to qualify for the NCAA Indoor Championships in that event. That feels like a well-deserved reward after splitting 4:28 in the DMR to help the Wolfpack women secure the overall win.
However, Gapes' latest performance is also terrible news for Providence's Alex Millard and Georgetown's Chloe Scrimgeour. Neither of those women are in the top-16 of the national leaderboard for 3000 meters and it's unlikely that anyone will scratch from the event (although it's still possible).
Thankfully for those BIG East stars, they are both qualified for the 5000 meters.
Men's 5000 Meters
Ethan Strand is simply on another level. The difference between him and Gary Martin in the final moments of this 5k race was overwhelmingly apparent. The UNC star threw down a monster kick to easily pull away and win the ACC title in a time of 13:26 (just as I had predicted).
And yet, for the most part, this race was fairly chalk.
Women's 5000 Meters
Nice run from Stanford's Zofia Dudek who secured the ACC title over 5000 meters with a time of 15:43. Admittedly, that was a fairly weak field, especially with Notre Dame's Erin Strzelecki recording DNF.
Even so, it's nice to see an accomplished veteran who has had a handful of challenges throughout her career end her winter campaign with a conference title (assuming she doesn't get enough scratches to qualify for the national meet over 5000 meters).
Men's DMR
The Virginia Tech men came out on top in the men's DMR...but only barely.
Despite an aggressive late-race charge from UNC's Parker Wolfe, George Couttie did enough to barely out-lean the Tar Heel superstar for the win. Each relay ran a time of 9:31.55 with the Hokies winning by 0.002 seconds.
And no, that's not a typo.
In the end, this result doesn't really change our opinion about either team in this field or their anchor legs. Even so, you almost certainly won't find another race that was closer than that this weekend.
Women's DMR
We saw yet another incredibly tight relay battle in the women's DMR at the ACC Championships as NC State fended off Clemson for the title, 10:52.59 to 10:52.80.
Hannah Gapes' 4:28 anchor split ultimately made her the savior for the Wolfpack's relay. That was a clutch performance that very clearly beat expectations. To have Gapes come from behind against an anchor like Judy Kosgei by three seconds is incredibly impressive.
That performance has to give Coach Laurie Henes great comfort knowing that she won't have to put Grace Hartman on her relay in order for NC State to have a sub-4:30 anchor split on the national stage.
Despite settling for runner-up, I do think Clemson deserves major kudos. They nearly got the win and ran 10:52, just short of a national qualifying spot. I do wonder, however, if putting Silvia Jelelgo on the lead-off leg and Gladys Chepngetich on the 800-meter leg would have yielded different (and more specifically, better) results.
However, interestingly enough, Notre Dame's Sophie Novak actually had the fastest split of any anchor leg in the field. Her time of 4:27 was enough to give the Fighting Irish a bronze medal, just 0.32 seconds off from silver and 0.53 seconds off from gold.
BIG 10 Indoor Championships
Men's 800 Meters
What a weekend from Oregon's Matthew Erickson!
The Ducks' middle distance star needed to improve his standing on the national leaderboard over 800 meters if he wanted a shot at qualifying for the indoor national meet. Well, Erickson did just that in the prelims, running 1:46.58.
But the catch? He wasn't even the top Oregon runner in his heat! Koitatoi Kidali ran 1:46.55 to narrowly pull ahead. Those two men then went 1-2 in the 800-meter finals with Erickson coming out on top.
Right now, Kidali sits at NCAA #13 (tied) while Erickson sits at NCAA #16. If just one more 800-meter runner posts a time faster than Erickson (if they haven't already), then the Oregon veteran will still be in jeopardy of not advancing to the indoor national meet if there aren't any scratches. That would be a stunning development given that Erickson looks like a realistic All-American contender this winter.
Women's 800 Meters
It was a tight race, but Washington's Chloe Foerster narrowly pulled off the upset win over Penn State's Hayley Kitching in the women's 800 meters, 2:03.27 to 2:03.29.
That's a big momentum-boosting win for Foerster who looks like she is more sure of herself and is more refined compared to last year. Based on her recent performances, I'm expecting her in-race execution to be better on the national stage in two weeks.
For Kitching, however, this is the second underwhelming race in a row for her -- and the timing isn't ideal. The Nittany Lion star ran 2:05 (800) at Boston U. a couple of weeks ago and settled for silver this past weekend in a race that she was expected to win. The Aussie middle distance star is still too accomplished and too talented to write off from the All-American conversation, but momentum is not on her side right now.
Men's Mile
Yet again, the men's mile finals at the BIG 10 Indoor Championships was extremely tactical. Michigan's Trent McFarland ended up with the win, running 4:03 to narrowly defeat Oregon's Elliott Cook and Washington's Cole Lindhorst.
McFarland has been quietly excellent this winter. He hasn't put himself in a national qualifying position this season, but his times have been sneaky-good and he has clearly improved upon a promising freshman campaign from last year. Tactically, he is emerging as one of the better milers in the NCAA and defeating a high-turnover star like Cook is a big deal.
Cook not running fast enough to qualify for the indoor national meet in the mile means that he'll be completely fresh for Oregon's DMR. That's important to note given that Matthew Erickson improved his standing on the national leaderboard over 800 meters this past weekend.
Also, rough day for the Washington men. The Huskies had five entrants in the men's mile finals, but four of them finished 6-8-9-10...in a field of 10 runners. Cole Lindhorst took 3rd place overall.
Women's Mile
No surprises here. Oregon's Wilma Nielsen (4:38) and Mia Barnett (4:39) went 1-2 in the women's mile at the BIG 10 Indoor Championships. And for as much as we respect the rest of this field, it wasn't all that surprising that two middle distance veterans of their caliber were able to come out on top.
However, rookie teammate Ali Ince didn't have her best day, fading to 7th place in a time of 4:43. That, of course, isn't too surprising given that she was a freshman competing in her first tactical championship affair.
Men's 3000 Meters
Great win from Washington's Nathan Green who ran 7:53 (3k) to defeat Wisconsin's Adam Spencer (7:55). There isn't too much to say about this result as both Green and Spencer are somewhat similar runners from a skillset perspective. That said, Green's kick was insanely potent.
Women's 3000 Meters
The top-five spots in the women's 3000 meters were separated by less than two seconds with Washington's Amina Maatoug securing the win. That's a sneaky-good victory considering that she had to face Juliet Cherubet, Halle Hill, Anika Thompson and Rachel Forsyth to secure gold.
Men's 5000 Meters
Oregon redshirt freshman Connor Burns pulled off quite the upset at the BIG 10 Indoor Championships over 5000 meters with a time of 13:39! The rising Duck talent ran away from Wisconsin ace Bob Liking in the final few laps top pull off what had to be one of the bigger upsets of the weekend.
That result won't have any implication of the national qualifying picture, but it is an important development over the long-term. Burns is beginning to look like the national-caliber standout that we suspected he could be when he was recruited out of high school. Remember, he ran 7:48 (3k) a few weeks ago and now has another momentum-boosting result on his resume.
If he catches fire, then he could be a major piece for the Oregon men by the time the fall of 2025 rolls around.
Women's 5000 Meters
The Oregon women put together a clean 1-2-3 sweep over 5000 meters with Silan Ayyildiz taking the win in 15:56. Juliet Cherubet and Anika Thompson both dipped under the 16-minute barrier as well.
That collection of results isn't overly surprising, although I certainly expected Penn State star Florence Caron to play a bigger role in this race and not fade to 4th place in a time of 16:04. Caron is likely going to qualify for the indoor national meet over 5000 meters, but it's not encouraging to see her struggle against a handful of names that she was likely capable of defeating...even if they were working together.
Men's DMR
The Washington men ran 9:31 to secure an unsurprising DMR win with a lineup that featured Leo Daschbach, Cole Lindhorst and Nathan Green. Their sole goal was almost certainly to secure the overall win and they did that with relative ease.
Women's DMR
With Wilma Nielsen on the lead-off leg and Mia Barnett on the anchor leg, it was highly unlikely that Oregon was going to lose this race. As such, they ran 10:56 en route to the DMR title.
That said, both Michigan State (2nd) and Minnesota (3rd) deserve major kudos for putting together strong efforts. The former ran 11:00 while latter ran 11:02. Those are solid results that made the Ducks at least work for their win...sorta.
BIG 12 Indoor Championships
Men's 800 Meters
This feels like a significant win for TCU's Lloyd Frilot.
The Horned Frog talent was very clearly not the favorite against the likes of Darius Kipyego (Iowa State), Tyler Mathews (BYU) and Dayton Carlson (Arizona State) going into the 800-meter finals at the BIG 12 Indoor Championships. Even so, Frilot came through, validating his breakout 1:46 (800) race from earlier this season.
With a statement conference title victory under his belt, Frilot has now thrust himself into the All-American conversation. He has proven that he's more than just a one-race wonder and that he can take down some of the best middle distance talents in the country. It'll be interesting to see if he can translate that success to the indoor national meet, but he's making it hard to pick against him despite his inexperience at this tier of fitness.
Women's 800 Meters
You could argue that Fanny Arendt (Texas Tech) securing the BIG 12 title over Makayla Clark (Iowa State) is a minor upset. Both women ran 2:02 for 800 meters with the former running 2:02.34.
Keep in mind that this race was held at altitude (although only 3200 feet), meaning that both women will get minor conversions in their favor. In turn, that conversion should be enough to better position both women to earn an automatic national qualifying spot over 800 meters.
Conversely, that is very bad news for Princeton's Hannah Riggins and, depending on the exact conversion, maybe North Florida's Smilla Kolbe as well.
Men's 1000 Meters
Were the results that we saw in the men's 1000 meters impressive? Yes.
But were they surprising? Honestly, no, they were not.
Iowa State's Emanuel Galdino got the win over Oklahoma State's Alex Stitt as each man ran 2:20 (1k). Behind them was BYU sophomore Carter Cutting who ran 2:21. And funny enough, I predicted those three men to finish in those same spots with those same exact times (although I predicted those marks to come after conversions, not before).
Naturally, you can see why I'm not too surprised. That said, Galdino is looking exceptionally strong and has validated his breakout season over and over again.
Women's 1000 Meters
TCU's Tabitha Ngao was the fairly clear favorite to win this race and she did just that, recording a time of 2:46 (1k) en route to gold (prior to conversion). And truthfully, I can't say that we learned a whole lot about her or anyone else in this race based on the results.
Men's Mile
I would argue that Laban Kipkemboi winning the men's BIG 12 mile title this winter is (maybe) the most important result on his resume this season. Sure, his 3:53 and 3:54 mile marks were crucial from a national qualifying standpoint. However, his latest win over teammate Fouad Messaoudi in a time of 4:08 (prior to conversion) was very telling.
That kind of result leads us to believe that Kipkemboi can hold his own and thrive in tactical settings. His breakout season has been impressive, but his latest performance leaves us encouraged about what he could do in the preliminary rounds at the indoor national meet.
Women's Mile
It was a very easy and very comfortable win for BYU's Riley Chamberlain who secured the BIG 12 mile title in a time of 4:31 (prior to conversion). She easily secured gold by six seconds. However, I was surprised to see her fellow teammates, Carmen Alder and Carlee Hansen, fade to 6th and 7th place, respectively.
Men's 3000 Meters
It was a fairly easy 1-2 winning effort by the Oklahoma State duo of Brian Musau and Ryan Schoppe who ran 7:45 and 7:47, respectively. And while those are good marks, they're not strong enough to qualify for this year's indoor national meet...until you factor-in their altitude conversions.
The BIG 12 Indoor Championships are being held in Lubbock, Texas this year. And given that the altitude there is 3200-ish feet, that means that distance athletes gain small conversions. In turn, Musau now holds a time of 7:40 for 3000 meters.
Musau's converted time now puts him at NCAA #15 on the national leaderboard over 3000 meters, tied with George Couttie. And if no one from that event scratches for the national meet, then that means that Wisconsin's Adam Spencer (NCAA #17) will have not qualified for the NCAA Indoor Championships in any individual event this winter.
Admittedly, neither Musau nor Schoppe have looked quite as sharp as we thought they would be at the start of the season. Even so, both men have to feel good about after their latest performances. The former has 5k racing duties in addition to the 3k and the latter has DMR responsibilities coming up for the indoor national meet. Having a pair of national-caliber marks under their belts going into their season finales can only help them in two weeks time.
Women's 3000 Meters
What a run by the West Virginia women! The trio of Ceili McCabe, Joy Naukot and Naomi Kemboi went 1-2-4 in the women's 3000 meters at the BIG 12 Indoor Championships. BYU's Jenna Hutchins (3rd) was the only woman to break up that group.
Truthfully, none of that really matters in the grand scheme of the national meet or the season as a whole. Even so, the international recruiting efforts made by Coach Sean Cleary have clearly paid off.
Men's 5000 Meters
Excellent run from BYU's Casey Clinger who outlasted Oklahoma State's Denis Kipngetich (who has been having a great season) en route to the BIG 12 title for 5k. That has to be a nice momentum booster as he prepares to face Kipngetich (amongst others) at the indoor national meet. Of course, that race will likely play out very differently.
It's also unlikely that Kipngetich and/or Clinger will be the ones dictating how the men's 5k at the national meet will unfold.
Women's 5000 Meters
No surprises here. BYU's Lexy Halladay-Lowry easily cruised to the win at the BIG 12 Indoor Championships, clocking a 15:32 (5k) mark (prior to conversion), 23 seconds better than the runner-up finisher (Joy Naukot of West Virginia). This may be the least surprising result of the weekend, but it's nice to see the Cougar veteran firing on all cylinders.
Men's DMR
The Oklahoma State men and Iowa State men put together a great battle with the former coming away with the BIG 12 title, 9:30 to 9:32 (prior to conversions). Of course, when you realize that the Cowboys fielded Alex Stitt, Laban Kipkemboi and Fouad Messaoudi, it's no surprise that they ended up with gold.
But at the same time, you have to give credit to the Cyclones for how competitive they were with a still-strong lineup of Devan Kipyego, Leroy Russell III and Silas Winders. On paper, that group isn't as accomplished as the lineup that Oklahoma State fielded, but they still held their own.
Women's DMR
With Sarah Tait on the opening leg and Ceili McCabe on the anchor leg, it wasn't too surprising to see the West Virginia women take home the DMR win. A mark of 11:09 (prior to conversion) gave the Mountaineers a four-second win over a respectable Arizona State team. However, with BYU not fielding one of their better relays, this was WVU's race to lose.
SEC Indoor Championships
Men's 800 Meters
It may not seem like it, but this race, both the prelims and the finals, had fairly substantial implications on the men's national qualifying picture.
Arkansas' Tyrice Taylor failed to advance to the 800-meter finals. And with the Oregon men running fairly quick times at the BIG 10 Indoor Championships, Taylor is now sitting as the first man out on the national leaderboard (before scratches) while teammate Rivaldo Marshall is even further back.
In the 800-meter finals, Marshall had a chance to better his position, but he just fell to Texas A&M superstar Sam Whitmarsh who ran 1:47 (800) to secure the SEC title. However, Whitmarsh has been having a very uneventful season. His latest time, while solid, won't be enough to advance to the indoor national meet.
In other words, the SEC Indoor Championships was a very big opportunity for a handful of men's half-milers to better their chances of making it to the indoor national meet. Those chances, however, are looking increasingly more slim, especially with the ACC Indoor Championships still set to unfold.
Women's 800 Meters
In a post-race interview at the John Thomas Terrier Classic, LSU star Michaela Rose spoke about a few hiccups that she's been having in her training as of late and a few minor challenges that she's had with staying healthy. And yet, she was still able to secure a win in Boston with a 2:01 (800) mark over a pair of top names.
However, a matchup against 1:59 (800) runner Sanu Jallow at the SEC Indoor Championships was going to be an even greater test for Rose. And yet, the LSU ace came out on top with a winning time of 2:00.25, just ahead of Jallow's 2:00.61 mark.
Rose may not be in her best form yet, but she's certainly approaching that level and she's doing so at the right time. By the indoor national meet, she could be back at the same level that allowed her to win NCAA gold in the spring of 2023.
Men's Mile
Arkansas' Reuben Reina was able to secure a very narrow win against Texas A&M's Cooper Cawthra in the mile at the SEC Indoor Championships. Both men ran 4:03-low with Razorback veteran Ben Shearer close behind.
For Reina, a conference title victory has to feel like great validation of the breakout season that he's been having. The same can be said for Cawthra who came incredibly close to taking down a top-tier name like Reina. Both of those men should be feeling exceptionally good going into the indoor national meet.
Women's Mile
In what may end up being one of the tighter matchups of the weekend, Florida's Tia Wilson ran a fantastic time of 4:30.10 in the mile, coming from behind to defeat LSU's Lorena Rangel Batres for the SEC title.
Make no mistake, Wilson has proven to be a talented name with plenty of upside before. However, taking down someone like Rangel Batres who has been on fire as of late is extremely impressive.
That's a (small) upset win for Wilson who now sits at NCAA #21 on the national leaderboard. If five women ahead of her on the national leaderboard scratch the mile for the indoor national meet, then she'll have a shot to qualify. That, however, would require one or two unexpected opt-outs from other top milers.
As for Rangel Batres, being upset for the SEC title isn't ideal, but it's also not the end of the world. The LSU star was able to validate the idea that she's a top miler in the NCAA and should still be in the mix for an All-American honor at Virginia Beach. Her season as a whole has been quietly impressive.
Men's 3000 Meters
If there were pre-race odds for Missouri's Drew Rogers to win the men's SEC title over 3000 meters this season, what do you think those odds would have been?
Maybe +10,000?
Well, whoever took that bet would have made a lot of money (theoretically, of course). The Tiger sophomore threw down an insanely potent kick to pull off one of the biggest upsets of the weekend. Rogers' mark of 7:53 (3k) was barely enough to defeat Reina who also ran 7:53 while fellow Arkansas teammates Yaseen Abdalla and Patrick Kiprop both ran 7:55 for 3rd and 4th place, respectively.
I'll admit, that's not the most encouraging loss for any of those Arkansas men. But Rogers' upset was so stunning and unexpected that, at the same time, it's hard to really fault any of those Razorback veterans.
Women's 3000 Meters
A strong 8:55 (3k) mark was enough for Alabama's Doris Lemngole to secure the SEC title over teammate-turned-rival, Hilda Olemomoi (Florida), who was two seconds behind. Arkansas' Paityn Noe (8:58) took 3rd place.
Truthfully, there isn't much to discuss when it comes to these final results. However, with Olemomoi not having run any faster than 8:51 for 3000 meters this winter, it is very unlikely that she'll qualify for the indoor national meet in that event this season (although she will over 5000 meters).
Men's 5000 Meters
In a race of strength-based stars, it was Arkansas' Patrick Kiprop who came out on top with a time of 13:37. The Alabama duo of Dismus Lokira and Victor Kiprop ran 13:40 and 13:41, respectively, for 2nd and 3rd place.
Sure, this was a race that Patrick Kiprop was supposed to win, but it's still nice to see him deliver gold against a field of naturally talented standouts. That result bodes well for the Razorback ace as he prepares for the indoor national meet in the coming weeks.
Women's 5000 Meters
What a HUGE run from Arkansas' Paityn Noe! The Arkansas star dropped a monster time of 15:11 (5k) at the SEC Indoor Championships. That mark now sits at NCAA #7 all-time.
Noe may only be a sophomore, but she is emerging as a legitimate national-caliber star. From a pure fitness standpoint, she has enough talent to be an All-American in two weeks. The only question is whether or not her relative youth and inexperience will limit her upside on a stage as overwhelming as the NCAA Indoor Championships.
Men's DMR
They didn't better their position on the national leaderboard, but a 9:23 DMR win over a historically strong distance running program in Arkansas has to feel good if you're the Texas A&M men. This has been an incredibly productive season for the Aggies and their latest victory felt like a big statement that they can be competitive in the coming years with enough development.
Women's DMR
The LSU women emerged victorious at the SEC Indoor Championships in the DMR, running 10:50 as their final result. Ultimately, the Tigers didn't need that mark in order to advance to the national meet as no one behind them on the national leaderboard has run faster than them (so far).
Even so, the ladies of Baton Rouge can take solace in knowing that their chances of making it to the NCAA Indoor Championships in the DMR are nearly (but not entirely) finalized. The only questions is...who will they enter in their relay once they arrive in Virginia Beach?
BIG East Indoor Championships
Men's 800 Meters
The men's BIG East title over 800 meters unsurprisingly went to Georgetown star Tinoda Matsatsa. En route to that gold medal, the Hoya sophomore dropped an excellent time of 1:46.10, setting a new meet record in the process.
Not only that, but Matsatsa took down a fast-rising middle distance star in Dan Watcke (Villanova) who closely tailed his conference rival with a 1:46.46 mark of his own. And in the grand scheme of things, I think both men should be encouraged with what they just accomplished.
Matsatsa quietly earned one of his biggest head-to-head wins of the season over a top-tier half-mile star in Watcke. And with Abdullahi Hassan being upset for the 800-meter title at the SEC Indoor Championships, it feels like Matsatsa's favoritism to win NCAA gold in Virginia Beach has only grown.
Watcke, meanwhile, just pushed a national-caliber superstar in Matsatsa to the finish line a fast championship race. The Villanova ace has gotten better and better as the season has unfolded and he currently has tons of momentum on his side. If someone wanted to argue that Watcke is an All-American lock, I don't think I would argue with them. In fact, I would almost be inclined to agree.
Women's 3000 Meters
Providence's Alex Millard had one of the more clutch conference meet performances of any woman in the NCAA this past weekend. The Friar ace earned a (very small) upset victory over 3000 meters. In doing so, she ran 8:50, putting herself at NCAA #16 on the national leaderboard.
The women's 3000 meters is an event that very rarely sees any scratches. After all, it's the final distance event of the national meet. The challenge, however, is that Millard will now need to wait until Monday to see if anyone else in the NCAA (who isn't already ahead of her on the national leaderboard) runs faster than she just did over 3000 meters.
In the meantime, Georgetown's Chloe Scrimgeour is also hoping the same thing. That's because the Hoya veteran ran 8:50 (3k) in that same race. She now sits at NCAA #17 on the national leaderboard and will need at least one scratch in order to qualify for that event at the indoor national meet (although she's already set to advance in the 5k).
But even if neither woman is able to advance to the indoor national meet in this event, then they can both take comfort in knowing that they are still set to contest the 5000 meters. Not only that, but they both just took down a pair of star runners in Kimberley May (Providence) and Lucy Jenks (Georgetown).
That should give me them a welcomed boost heading into the NCAA Indoor Championships when they further attack their primary distance. Their newfound turnover, even if the 3k is more of a longer distance event, can only help them in the often chaotic pacing and late-race surging that comes with the indoor national meet.
Mountain West Indoor Championships
Men's 5000 Meters
To no one's surprise, New Mexico superstar Habtom Samuel took home the 5k win at the Mountain West Indoor Championships with a time of 13:33. However, crossing the finish line at the same time as Samuel was his teammate, Ishmael Kipkurui, who also ran 13:33. And given that the race was held at altitude, both men received big conversions of 13:11!
For Samuel, a time like that is hardly surprising. He did, after all, run 13:04 for 5000 meters last month. However, Kipkurui also earned a 13:11 conversion. That time will be enough for him to qualify for this year's NCAA Indoor Championships. That, in turn, allows Kipkurui to pursue the 5k/3k double in Virginia Beach.
Keep an eye on Kipkurui moving forward. He is very clearly becoming increasingly more comfortable with NCAA competition and that's happening at just the right time. Of course, a tactical championship-style setting is something that has often been a challenge for international newcomers like himself.
Boston U. Last Chance Meet
Men's 800 Meters
I've always thought highly of Cal Poly's Aidan McCarthy. Some people seem to forget how explosive of a middle distance talent he can be. He was an All-American over 800 meters in the spring of 2023 and has since become even stronger. Prior to this past weekend, the Mustang veteran had posted times of 1:46 (800), 2:19 (1k) and 3:52 (mile) this winter.
And yet, despite his accolades, I didn't expect him to throw down the performance that he just did at the Boston U. Last Chance Meet!
At Boston University on Sunday evening, McCarthy unleashed a monster 800-meter PR of 1:45.19! That time now sits at NCAA #3 all-time for the indoor half-mile distance. And suddenly, the national title conversation in two weeks may feature more than just Tinoda Matsatsa.
McCarthy has always been talented, but his latest result suggests that he has entered an entirely new tier of fitness. And more importantly, it also suggests that he's peaking at just the right time.
On paper, McCarthy is the full package. He's consistent, he's dynamic, he's experienced, he's getting better as the postseason approaches and he now has an all-time mark on his resume. What's not to like?
Admittedly, many of McCarthy's races this season have been time trials and all-out affairs. It will be interesting to see how he handles himself at the indoor national meet, a stage that he has never specifically competed at before. But as far as his resume and raw talent are concerned, this Cal Poly star suddenly looks like a national title threat.
