First Thoughts (Part Two): Laura Pellicoro's Huge 4:25 Mile Effort, Fouad Messaoudi, Simeon Birnbaum & Colin Sahlman Each Run 3:52 (Mile) & D2 Star Romain Legendre Joins the NCAA All-Time 5k List

Admin (Garrett Zatlin)

Feb 4, 2025

11 min read

To say that this past weekend was wild would be an understatement.

The top-10 portions of the NCAA all-time lists were rewritten in the mile, 1000 meters, 3000 meters and 5000 meters. The national qualifying cut-off marks for the Division One level have become faster than ever before and Division Two was able to make national headlines -- again.

Below, we broke down all of the top performances from this past weekend that weren't already analyzed by TSR in this article or, of course, this article.

Alright, we've already wasted enough time -- let's get into it.

Portland's Laura Pellicoro Runs 4:25 Mile While Washington Duo of Amina Maatoug & Chloe Foerster Drop Pair of 4:28 Marks

When Laura Pellicoro ran 2:37 for 1000 meters last month, we realized that she had reached an entirely new tier of fitness. That was, after all, the fastest 1k time ever run by a collegian (even if it was on an oversized track).

And yet, despite that performance, we wanted to see how Pellicoro would translate that result to a distance like the mile. On the Blue Oval Podcast, my fellow co-host Ben Weisel and myself predicted that Pellicoro could probably run 4:28 in the mile this winter.

Funny enough, we were right -- she could run 4:28 in the mile -- but she chose to run three seconds faster anyway.

This past weekend, the Italian distance runner dropped a tremendous mile time of 4:25, securing a statement win over two All-American-caliber collegians (as well as two talented pros) while validating her historic 1k result from last month.

That time would have put Pellicoro at NCAA #3 all-time in the women's mile. However, she was competing on an oversized track, meaning that her performance won't count towards the "official" all-time list.

Pellicoro has now reached the point where she'll be mentioned in upcoming national title conversations. Having two historically elite performances under her belt is a massive development -- and it's not like she's brand new to competing against the top women in the country, either.

Remember, the Pilot star has some of the best range in the nation. That mix of speed and strength, along with plenty of familiarity with the best names in the NCAA, should make her incredibly scary to face come late February and March.

As for the Washington duo of Amina Maatoug and Chloe Foerster, both women have to be fairly happy about their 4:28 mile marks.

For Maatoug, this is a big result. The Husky graduate student has proven to be supremely talented, but an injury last spring has seemingly hampered her ability to be nationally competitive -- until now.

Foerster, meanwhile, has matched her mile PR from last year. And with over a month left until the indoor national meet, the Washington ace should have a shot at improving upon her mark even further throughout the remainder of February.

Oregon's Silan Ayyildiz Runs 4:27 Mile at Razorback Invite While Rookie Teammate Ali Ince Runs 4:30

Did you ever once think that, in your lifetime, you would be unsurprised and/or indifferent about a collegiate woman running 4:27 in the mile? Last year, we were incredibly excited about athletes producing 4:28 and 4:29 marks. Nowadays, a sub-4:30 effort has become borderline routine for some of the best women in the NCAA.

To be clear, we're not saying that Ayyildiz's performance isn't impressive -- because it is. After this past weekend, she now sits at NCAA #13 all-time. And regardless of the ultra-fast era that we live in, that kind of result demands massive respect, even from the national title favorites.

But for as good as Ayyildiz was, I was arguably more impressed by her teammate, Ali Ince. The Oregon rookie was excellent in that same mile race, posting a tremendous time of 4:30, a personal best by over two seconds.

Ince has been incredible despite her inexperience. She was surprisingly great on the grass this past fall and is at least a full year of ahead of her athletic development. Not only that, but she has continued to improve each time she races!

We have said time and time again that few athletes in the NCAA are more dangerous than high-upside youngsters who are on a hot streak. And right now, that is the best way to describe Ince.

Oklahoma State's Fouad Messaoudi Holds Off Oregon's Simeon Birnbaum as Each Man Runs 3:52 in Mile, 15 Collegians Go Sub-4:00

There is no denying that the John Thomas Terrier Classic was the meet to watch when it came to thrilling mile races. However, the men's mile field at the Razorback Invitational wasn't far off.

In Fayetteville, in what may have been one of the more exciting battles of the weekend, we got to see Oklahoma State's Fouad Messaoudi and Oregon's Simeon Birnbaum light up the track.

Admittedly, the race was a clear time trial with two different pacers (who both did an excellent job) leading the field. Even so, Birnbaum was the main piece who kept the field intact with those pacers, consistently pushing to stay behind them.

After Arkansas' Yaseen Abdalla took over Birnbaum's role for a couple of laps, Oklahoma State's Fouad Messaoudi began to kick with 300 meters to go. Birnbaum was the only collegian who was able to stay with him. Even so, the Moroccan distance star was able to hold his lead, crossing the finish line with Birnbaum just a stride or two behind.

In the end, Messaoudi ran 3:52.66 (NCAA #8 all-time) while Birnbaum ran 3:52.81 (NCAA #10 all-time). Behind them was Arkansas' Reuben Reina (3:53.95) who put together a remarkably composed race en route to a fairly significant PR and an NCAA #21 all-time mark.

For Messaoudi, this is a substantial result. The Oklahoma State standout had a brilliant winter campaign in 2023, looking like one of the most complete distance runners that I have seen since TSR started. But after a handful of hiccups over the last year and a half, it was nice to see the Cowboy star not only run a crazy-fast time, but also showcase excellent intangibles: patience, poise, powerful finishing speed and a knack to earn the overall win.

If Messaoudi is anywhere near the same form that he was in two years ago, then his 3k potential should/could make him one of the scariest distance runners in the NCAA this winter.

As for Birnbaum his result was fantastic. And yet, it's hard to say that we're surprised. Remember, this guy was a high school phenom who boasted incredibly lethal turnover. And despite an injury during his freshman year, as well as a few developmental seasons, it was still incredibly clear that Birnbaum had superstar potential.

In fact, he was even one of my "names to watch" in our indoor track season preview episode of the Blue Oval Podcast.

There are still plenty of racing aspects that Birnbaum needs to refine. For example, fighting off Yaseen Abdalla for the rail position late in that mile race would have allowed the redshirt rookie to maintain his momentum over those final few laps (well, at least in theory).

Of course, it's far easier to sit at my computer and critique than to actually go out and do just that. And let's not forget, that was only Birnbaum's fourth indoor track race (and third indoor track meet) of his collegiate career.

I also want to briefly chat about Reuben Reina, a guy who is becoming a legitimate star after years of development. A 3:53 mile PR is tremendous, especially given that his prior mile PR of 3:55 was run just a few weeks ago. The Razorback veteran made a handful of smart moves this past weekend and was able to close down the gaps on the leaders during that final lap.

I don't know if I would say that Reina is an All-American favorite (yet). Even so, momentum is on his side and he doesn't ever seem to make glaring mistakes. That should serve him well in the postseason.

Also, great run from Oregon's Tomas Palfrey who won his heat of the men's mile in a strong time of 3:54. He had flashed moments of promise last year, both with the Ducks and while racing unattached. Now, it seems that he has finally translated some of that metric mile prowess to the indoor oval.

Behind Ethan Strand, Colin Sahlman Produces 3:52 Mile PR as Five Other Collegians Run Sub-3:55

If you're wondering why we're not highlighting Ethan Strand's 3:48 mile performance in this article, it's because...well, just click here and you'll see why.

In that same mile race as Strand, we saw Northern Arizona's Colin Sahlman admirably chase after an all-time result. And if he had competed an hour earlier, then he would have cracked the top-10 of that list...for a very, very short period of time. Alas, the Razorback Invite had other plans.

Sahlman's 3:52 mile PR now puts him at NCAA #11 all-time in that event. And truthfully, there isn't much to talk about. Sahlman won that same mile race last year in a time of 3:53 and in our pre-race predictions, I had the Lumberjack standout securing a time of 3:51.

As for everyone else, Eastern Kentucky's Justine Kipkoech (heat one), Eastern Kentucky's Taha Er Raouy (heat two), Boston University's Foster Malleck (heat two), Texas A&M's Cooper Cawthra (heat two) and Boston College's Steven Jackson (heat two) all produced mile PRs of 3:54.

And generally speaking, a handful of those results were fairly unsurprising.

Er Raouy is one of the two exceptions to that. His 3:54 mile PR was tremendous. Not only did he run a five-second personal best out of nowhere, but he also won his mile heat!

But the bigger shock in all of this was seeing Cooper Cawthra shockingly drop a monster 3:54 mile PR! Sure, the Aggie veteran had shown promise earlier this season and last spring with times of 1:49 (800), 2:22 (1k), 3:41 (1500) and 3:58 (mile). Even so, none of those results could have suggested that he would eventually run 3:54 in the mile.

Be sure to monitor those two men moving forward. There is still so much about their mile prowess and current fitness that we don't know. That, however, is what makes them so dangerous, especially Cawthra as he nears the stacked SEC Indoor Championships.

Half-Mile Palooza: In Addition to Marshall & Taylor, Cole Lindhorst (Washington), Aidan McCarthy (Cal Poly), Darius Smallwood (Penn State), Dan Watcke (Villanova) & Dayton Carlson (Arizona State) All Produce 1:46 (800) Marks

We already spoke about the pair of 1:46 (800) marks that we saw from the Arkansas duo of Rivaldo Marshall and Tyrice Taylor on Friday night. However, there were a large handful of additional men who also ran 1:46 for the half-mile distance this past weekend.

Cole Lindhorst (Washington), Aidan McCarthy (Cal Poly), Darius Smallwood (Penn State), Dan Watcke (Villanova) and Dayton Carlson (Arizona State) all dipped under the 1:47 (800) barrier on Friday or Saturday.

Of that group, Lindhorst's performance is probably the best. Not only did he run 1:46 (800), but he also took down a VERY underrated middle distance star in Aidan McCarthy. And on top of that, Lindhorst can now pair that lethal half-mile time with his 3:55 mile PR that he ran earlier this season.

Lindhorst, who was previously at Air Force and then Texas before joining Washington this past summer, is looking incredibly sharp right now. He gives the Huskies their third 1:46 (800) man of this season, and that doesn't even include guys like Nathan Green who have run just as fast before.

But more importantly, Lindhorst is beginning to evolve into the runner that we knew he could be. He is an incredibly smart and balanced competitor who can handle a variety of different race scenarios. When it comes to positioning and surging, he's among the better middle distance runners on the west coast right now.

Also, how about Darius Smallwood? The Penn State star just posted his second 1:46 (800) mark of the season. And despite us already being in the month of February, he is the only collegian who has accomplished that this winter. Both efforts have resulted in wins over at least one national-caliber name.

Don't dismiss Smallwood as we get closer to the postseason. He also ran 1:15 for 600 meters this past weekend, an insanely fast result that puts him at NCAA #13 all-time regardless of division (and NCAA #11 all-time in Division One). He is not someone to mess with in championship races.

Adams State's Romain Legendre Resets His Own D2 5k Record With Monster PR of 13:02, Now Sits at NCAA #3 All-Time Regardless of Division While New Mexico's Habtom Samuel Sits at NCAA #4 All-Time via 13:04 PR

Going into Saturday, we had high expectations for the men's 5000 meters. With long distance stars such as Habtom Samuel, Casey Clinger and Ishmael Kipkurui headlining the collegiate entries, it wasn't crazy to expect an all-time mark.

However, what we didn't expect was Romain Legendre, an elite long distance star at the Division Two level, dropping an unreal 5k PR of 13:02 in that same race! The Adams State standout, who previously held the D2 indoor (13:24) and outdoor (13:16) 5k records, smashed expectations, emerging as the top collegian on Saturday.

And now, Legendre sits at NCAA #3 all-time, regardless of division.

To say that the French distance runner is the D2 national title favorite over 5000 meters this winter is an understatement. The Grizzly standout posted one of the most impressive results we've ever seen in Division Two track and field history. And yes, I mean across all events.

With a milestone performance under his belt, one has to think that Legendre will go after the NCAA D2 record in the 3k which sits at 7:43. That mark was posted back in December by Colorado Mines' Loic Scomparin.

While Legendre is undeniably a better 5k runner than anything else, his latest performance suggests that he has a shot at going under 7:40 for 3000 meters later this winter. And when he reaches the outdoor oval, it seems like a forgone conclusion that he will go under the 28-minute barrier for 10,000 meters.

The only question is, how far under that mark will he actually go?

As for Habtom Samuel, I was extremely impressed. For as absurd as this may sound, the New Mexico superstar, who is undeniably at his best over 10,000 meters, was dropping down in distance to contest the 5k this past weekend.

And believe it or not, the Lobo ace had never run faster than 13:14 (5k) before this past weekend. In a few instances, Samuel had left us wanting more in that event. That's why his 13:04 PR on Saturday felt like a statement -- his 10k fitness has seemingly caught up with him in the shorter events (or at least in the 5k it has).

Samuel now sits at NCAA #4 all-time and NCAA #3 all-time among Division One athletes. However, we still need to see how this Eritrean phenom will fare in tactical battles which require late-race turnover. All-out time trials are the type of races that Samuel seemingly prefers, but that is almost certainly not what he will see on the national stage.

Also, strong runs from Arkansas' Patrick Kiprop (13:11) and Wake Forest's Rocky Hansen (13:14), the latter of whom won heat two. Both of those men bring different skillsets to this event, but also holds ton of upside. Kiprop is often willing to be aggressive while Hansen is one of the more well-rounded athletes at the top of the men's 5k this year.

Quick Hits

BYU's Carmen Alder admittedly struggled a bit at Boston U. on Friday night, running a modest mile time of 4:40. However, Alder and a few teammates then ventured across town to the Harvard Invitational the next day. There, Alder dropped a shockingly excellent mile time of 4:29! It's admittedly hard to properly gauge a result like that. We knew Alder was talented, but a 4:29 mile PR (on the double) puts her in a different tier. We'll be fascinated to see how she validates that performance in the coming weeks.

Georgetown's Melissa Riggins had a nice outing in the mile at Penn State this past weekend. Her 4:30 mark in that event isn't her PR, but it does suggest that she can continue to inch closer and closer to her peak when the postseason rolls around.

Colorado's Isaiah Givens emerged as the top collegian in the men's 3k at the John Thomas Terrier Classic with a time of 7:45. That result is a little slower than I thought he would/could run, but it still aligns with his identity as a strength-based miler.

Penn State's Hayley Kitching secured a strong 2:01 (800) mark on her home track this past weekend. That result is pretty on par with the resume that the Aussie half-miler has established throughout her college career.

Nice run from Iowa State's Makayla Clark who ran 2:02 (800) at the Razorback Invite. She has been a quietly strong name over the half-mile distance for the last few seasons, but this feels like the big breakout that we were waiting to see from her.