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First Thoughts (Part Two): Gary Martin Drops 3:48 Mile at Millrose Games, Villanova Duo Throws Down Elite 3k Times, Abel Teffra + Wilma Nielsen Validate Fitness & Smilla Kolbe Continues to Improve
Truthfully, this was supposed to be an "off" weekend for NCAA distance runners. After all, many of the nation's biggest and best stars were recovering from the John Thomas Terrier Classic and are preparing for the Boston U. Valentine Invitational.
But while there weren't nearly as many national-caliber performances to highlight, the quality of the results that we saw on Friday and Saturday were as good as almost any other weekend this season.
Let's not waste any more time and get into the analysis -- we have a Super Bowl game that we have to watch. Also, if you haven't already, be sure to check out Part One of our "First Thoughts" analysis by clicking here.
Virginia's Gary Martin Runs 3:48 Mile at Millrose Games for NCAA #2 All-Time Mark, Becomes Second Collegian to Ever Run under 3:50 Barrier
Entering the 2024-25 NCAA indoor track season, no collegian had ever run under the 3:50 mile barrier. But with one month remaining until this year's national meet, and within the span of seven days, two collegiate men have surpassed that legendary mark.
In fact, they didn't just sneak under the 3:50 barrier, they BOTH ran 3:48!
We have more-or-less exhausted all of the things that we could possibly say about Ethan Strand's 3:48 mile performance -- it was Earth-shattering.
But then Gary Martin toed the start line for the men's mile at the Millrose Games this past Saturday. And in the fastest indoor mile race known to man, Martin followed the field en route to a jaw-dropping 3:48 PR and a 5th place finish.
With that result, the UVA superstar has become the second collegian to ever break the 3:50 mile barrier. He now sits behind North Carolina's Ethan Strand on the NCAA all-time mile list by the slimmest of margins.
And now, everything that we thought we knew about the current state of the NCAA has been completely flipped upside down.
It's one thing for Ethan Strand to produce a jaw-dropping 3:48 mile time and break the collegiate record. But if you had told us that another collegian would run 3:48 in the mile seven days later, I sincerely wouldn't have believed you.
Make no mistake, Martin was already a top-tier NCAA talent -- he did, after all, run 7:36 (3k) back in December. However, this is also someone whose previous mile PR was 3:54. In fact, he ran 3:54 in the mile just two weeks ago, settling behind Villanova's Marco Langon and Liam Murphy with a truthfully uninspiring 3rd place finish.
But Martin's latest result has seemingly changed things.
The UVA ace did more than just put himself near the top of the NCAA all-time list and emerge as one of the national title favorites in the mile this winter. His performance also humanizes Strand's NCAA record from last week.
Martin's historic mark shows us that Strand isn't the exception, but rather the measuring stick for excellence, which seems shockingly attainable based on Martin's most recent effort. And consequently, fans of the sport are left wondering just how fast the men's NCAA mile record will be in the next five to 10 years...
Oregon's Wilma Nielsen Earns Small Mile PR By 0.11 Seconds, Runs 4:25 at Millrose Games
Admittedly, seeing Oregon's Wilma Nielsen run 4:25 in the mile at the Millrose Games isn't the most exciting result to analyze given that she already ran 4:25 earlier this season.
However, if you go back and watch that race, you'll find that Nielsen ran 4:25 despite being in a fairly poor position throughout the entirety of the eight laps.
The Duck's mile standout put herself near the front-middle portion of the pack, but got stuck on the inside rail. And for the most part, she stayed there for the entire race. Even if Nielsen wanted to move, she couldn't.
In the end, Nielsen struggled to catch up to the leaders on the final lap after being enclosed on the rail for so long. And yet, the fact that she still ran 4:25 makes us feel even better about her national title chances in the mile!
If this Oregon standout can still run that fast in a loaded field of pros despite so much going against her, then what can she do against a group of collegians who likely won't be able to contain Nielsen?
Villanova Duo of Liam Murphy (7:35) & Marco Langon (7:36) Light Up Boston U. Track Over 3000 Meters, Earn NCAA Top-10 All-Time Marks
While the nation's attention was set on the Millrose Games, the Villanova duo of Liam Murphy and Marco Langon threw down blistering 3k times at the Boston U. Scarlet & White Invitational.
There, they earned phenomenal times of 7:35 and 7:36, respectively. Those marks now sit at NCAA #4 all-time and NCAA #6 all-time. But despite the historical magnitude of those performances, I am truthfully struggling to be surprised.
In theory, the 3k was almost certainly going to be the sweet spot for both Murphy and Langon in terms of their racing distances. Both men have proven to be fantastic milers and both men are coming off of outstanding 5k PRs from December (where each Wildcat ace ran under 13:15).
That's why it makes sense that both of these superstar talents had their best races of the season at the distance that is the middle ground between the mile and the 5k. And if you think that I am doing some revisionist history, then just know that I predicted Murphy to run 7:34 and for Langon to run 7:35.
Both of these men have now entered the 3k national title conversation with those marks -- Murphy more so than Langon. However, one could argue that Saturday's effort was more meaningful for Langon. After showcasing improved fitness over the last five to six months, we can more confident say that this Wildcat star is truly among the most elite distance stars in the NCAA.
North Florida's Smilla Kolbe Validates Spring-Time Success, Secures 2:02 (800) Seasonal Best
The 2024 outdoor track season was a huge breakout campaign for North Florida's Smilla Kolbe. And in the winter of 2025, she has seemingly picked up where she left off.
Last spring, the German middle distance talent threw down a brilliant 2:01 (800) PR to win the ASUN title. Kolbe then navigated through the rounds of the East Regional Championships where she qualified for the outdoor national meet (and ended her season in the prelims).
Fast forward to now and Kolbe is seemingly setting herself up for another postseason peak. So far this winter, the North Florida ace has run 4:37 in the mile, 2:03 over 800 meters and, as of this past weekend, 2:02 over 800 meters.
And no, I'm not quite sure why the below graphic says 2:00.82, but I watched the race...it was 2:02.
Kolbe now sits at NCAA #6 on the national leaderboard, meaning that she has almost certainly secured her spot to the indoor national meet. That, in turn, should give her tons of flexibility to further refine her fitness instead of chasing a national qualifying mark.
That isn't a luxury that Kolbe had last spring.
Georgetown's Abel Teffra Secures Big-Time Mile Win in Boston via 3:52 Mark, Enters NCAA Top-10 All-Time List
In a race paced by teammate Tinoda Matsatsa, we saw Georgetown's Abel Teffra attack a mile field that was quietly loaded. And yet, despite the competition, the Hoya standout was able to score a fantastic (and fairly convincing) mile win.
Teffra ended the race with an outstanding mark of 3:52 and now sits at NCAA #8 all-time in that event. And maybe more importantly, the Georgetown star has validated his monster 1k performance from last month when he ran 2:17 (which sits at NCAA #2 all-time).
Last year, Teffra showcased sneaky-good positioning en route to a mile All-American finish at the 2024 indoor national meet. But in 2025, it's undeniable that the DC-based middle distance star is in far better form than he was last year.
I don't know if we're ready to call Teffra a national title favorite/contender yet. But the fact that we even have to ponder that is a significant development.
In that same race, the Iowa State duo of Emanuel Galdino and Devan Kipyego continued to build momentum with a pair of 3:54 mile PRs. Those are excellent times which affirm the idea that both men are having breakout seasons (and that their performances from earlier this season weren't flukes).
Not only that, but the rise of those two men likely gives the Cyclones much more breathing room as they assemble a DMR to go after national qualification.
Right now, both Galdino and Kipyego are sitting on the edge of national qualification in the men's mile. And in order to feel safer about their position on the national leaderboard, we can expect both of these men to go after faster times in the coming weeks.
Quick Hits
Florida's Hilda Olemomoi had a bit of a tough day at the Millrose Games, clocking an 8:51 (3k) mark. That is by no means a poor result, but we know that she is capable of going much faster.
How about Salma Elbadra? South Carolina's newest distance star, who they seemingly picked up this past winter from Alabama, produced a one-day double of 4:31 (mile) and 8:58.95 (3k) this past Saturday! That is one of the most impressive distance doubles that we have seen from any woman in the NCAA so far this spring. If she is somehow able to qualify for the national meet in both of those events, then her durability will be a huge asset for her. And even if she doesn't advance to the national meet, then she'll still hold tons of value at the upcoming SEC Indoor Championships.
In the same mile race as Salma Elbadra, we saw Boston U. ace Vera Sjoberg clock a strong 4:32 mile PR. That is yet another small step in the right direction for the Swedish distance runner who is inching closer and closer to a national qualifying position. She'll have the luxury of going after faster times on her home track (likely in favorable heats) over the next few weeks.
Nice running from the Michigan duo of Trent McFarland and Miles Brown this past weekend. Both men ran 1:47-low for 800 meters on their home track. Those two men will likely need to run faster if they want to qualify for the national meet, but at least they are in position to do so.
