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First Thoughts (Part Two): Tinoda Matsatsa Resets His Own NCAA Record, Hayley Kitching Runs 2:39 (1k), History on Colorado Soil & Nathan Green Posts Jaw-Dropping 3:50 (Mile) PR
Updated: Jan 20, 2025
Welcome back, friends!
The performances that we saw on Friday were plenty entertaining...but Saturday's results were even more exciting! Below, we took a handful of the most head-turning marks from yesterday's races and offered some in-depth analysis.
Didn't catch yesterday's "First Thoughts" article? Be sure to click here and read up!
Alright, let's knock this out, shall we?
Georgetown's Tinoda Matsatsa's Resets His Own NCAA Record via 2:16.84 (1k) Mark, Teammate Abel Teffra Runs 2:17.39 (1k) for NCAA #2 All-Time
Going into Saturday's 1000-meter race at the Nittany Lion Challenge, I thought Georgetown sophomore Tinoda Matsatsa had a fairly decent shot of resetting his own NCAA record over 1000 meters (2:18.05). He did, after all, showcase a clear jump in fitness after running a 3:54 mile PR back in December.
If Matsatsa had run 2:17 (1k), I don't think I would have been super surprised. However, he didn't run 2:17. Instead, he skipped that mark altogether and dropped an other-worldly NCAA record of 2:16.84!
And if that wasn't impressive enough, fellow teammate Abel Teffra also dipped under the 2:18 (1k) barrier with an NCAA #2 all-time mark (2:17.39).
To put it simply, Matsatsa has been beyond brilliant in just two races this winter. His fitness has taken more than just one step up and he's racing with greater conviction. That's an extremely scary realization for other top middle distance runners around the NCAA. With a full year of collegiate experience also under his belt, it doesn't feel unrealistic to suggest that this Georgetown star is a national title favorite for the 800 meters this season.
Of course, it's important that we don't get too far ahead of ourselves. After all, the 1000 meters is not quite the same as an 800-meter race (duh). And yet, it's hard to see a scenario where Matsatsa isn't noticeably better in the postseason this year compared to last year.
As for Abel Teffra, that 1000-meter race may have actually improved his stock more than it did for Matsatsa. The Hoya veteran was 5th in the mile finals at last year's indoor national meet, a performance that truthfully beat our expectations for him.
But now, along with personal bests of 3:38 (1500) and 3:54 (mile), Teffra has an all-time result which validates his All-American performance from last winter. And suddenly, this Hoya standout has a more complete resume than ever before.
However, the biggest winner in all of this has to be Coach Brandon Bonsey. The Georgetown men have been known as a middle distance powerhouse for years. And yet, despite their lengthy history, the men's NCAA record book over 1000 meters has been completely rewritten by the Hoyas in recent years.
Oh, and for an added bonus, the only collegians to have ever run under 2:18 for 1000 meters are now two men based in Washington, DC.
Penn State's Hayley Kitching Runs 2:39 (1k) on Home Track, Becomes Fifth Collegian to Ever Break 2:40 Barrier
The men's 1000 meters was clearly the main event at the Nittany Lion Challenge. That, however, shouldn't take away from the brilliant effort that we saw from Penn State's Hayley Kitching.
On her home track, the Nittany Lion star dropped a brilliant 2:39.86 mark over 1000 meters to take a comfortable win.
Admittedly, this result doesn't necessarily tell us anything about Kitching that we didn't already know. The Penn State veteran owns a 2:00.70 (800) PR from last spring, has an extensive amount of experience that she can fall back on and is one of the best tactical half-milers that the NCAA has to offer.
To suggest that she was going to barely dip under 2:40 (1k) on Saturday wasn't unrealistic -- although it was certainly on the better end of expectations.
Before the 2024-2025 indoor track season began, only two collegians had ever run under the 2:40 barrier for 1000 meters: Danae Rivers (Penn State) and Wilma Nielsen (Bradley, now at Oregon). But now, the number of sub-2:40 (1k) times in the NCAA has climbed to five individuals...in less than two weeks.
It should also be noted that both of the "official" NCAA records over 1000 meters -- 2:38 by Danae Rivers in 2019 and 2:16 by Tinoda Matsatsa in 2025 -- have been run on Penn State's indoor track. And now, Kitching has added herself to the NCAA's all-time list on that very same oval.
Washington's Nathan Green Throws Down Phenomenal 3:50 (Mile) PR, Leads Eight Other Teammates Under 4:00 Barrier
On last week's episode of the Blue Oval podcast, I made a bold prediction saying that the men's NCAA mile record of 3:50.39, which was set by Cooper Teare in 2021, would fall this winter.
And after this past weekend, I'm feeling more and more confident in that hot take.
On Saturday, Nathan Green ripped off an otherworldly mile time. The Husky veteran sat behind the pacers and a handful of former teammates (most of whom are now pro runners for Adidas) before putting in an explosive surge on the final lap.
When he crossed the line, Green had run 3:50.74 in the mile. It was the fourth-fastest mile time ever run by a collegian. However, because Green was racing on an "oversized" track, his mark will not count towards the "official" NCAA record books.
Green's performance doesn't really tell us anything new about him other than he's still at the very top of his game. However, his result does suggest that he's more than capable of setting a new NCAA record in the mile later this season. And if he does so, then that would also put him in contention to run under the legendary 3:50 (mile) barrier.
But what was arguably even more impressive was what took place behind Nathan Green...and in the other heats of the mile.
At the conclusion of the UW Preview, the Huskies had a total of NINE men under the four-minute mile barrier! That is an unreal level of depth that rivals what we saw from this group just two years ago when Washington had "only" seven men run under four minutes that entire season.
Although, admittedly, that group was far more top-heavy than what the Huskies have shown so far this winter.
Washington's Sub-Four Milers at 2025 UW Preview
Nathan Green - 3:50
Ronan McMahon-Staggs - 3:51
Cole Lindhorst - 3:55
Leo Daschbach - 3:55
Rhys Hammond - 3:58
Acer Iverson - 3:58
Thomas Diamond - 3:58
Evan Jenkins - 3:58
Jamar Distel - 3:59
Ronan McMahon-Staggs is a name who needs to be highlighted. His 3:51 (mile) PR is a massive result. It validates the breakout season that he had two years ago and it shows us that he truly thrives in fast-paced races.
And to state the obvious, his fitness has clearly reached a point where he can realistically contend for All-American honors. Truthfully, we still need to see how McMahon-Staggs will fare in more tactical scenarios. But if the final lap of Saturday's race is any indication, then he could be a major problem for his opponents come the postseason.
As for everyone else, Washington could field a top-half All-American DMR lineup this winter without Nathan Green. In fact, they may not even need Ronan McMahon-Staggs, either!
Texas graduate transfer Cole Lindhorst is incredibly dangerous when he's healthy and Leo Daschbach is becoming more and more reliable. There's a realistic world where 3:55 does not get you into the indoor national meet for the men's mile this year.
And if that happens, then those two men could make a ton of noise in the DMR.
Stanford's Juliette Whittaker (4:31) & Sophia Kennedy (4:32) Emerge as Top Collegians in Women's Mile at UW Preview
Truthfully, the women's mile at the UW Preview didn't feature a ton of surprising results. While the pros found success at the very top of the field, it was Stanford superstar Juliette Whittaker and cross country All-American Sophia Kennedy who headlined the collegiate performances.
Whittaker, who was moving up in distance from her primary event (the 800 meters), posted a very strong mile time of 4:31. That mark is a little less than a second off from her PR, leaving us shrugging our shoulders and saying, "Yeah, that seems about right."
However, when it comes to Sophia Kennedy, we have newfound respect for her talent...which is impressive given that we already viewed her very highly.
Despite being a cross country All-American this past fall who 15:26 (5k) back in December, Kennedy showcased surprisingly great speed on Saturday. The Cardinal sophomore threw down a fantastic mile PR of 4:32, a mark that was roughly two seconds faster than what I was expecting out of her.
The mile is likely not the event that Kennedy will focus on this season. However, her latest result does show that she has the necessary speed to thrive in tactical situations (well, in theory). And if you pair her recent mile PR with recent 5k PR, then you could get a jaw-dropping 3k performance that is at/near the 8:50 barrier.
Mia Cochran, the Huskies' most recent graduate transfer from Arkansas, also deserves some recognition. She made tremendous improvements on the grass this past fall and was very nearly an All-American back in November. On paper, she was primed to improve upon her mile PR -- and she did just that!
A one-second personal best, en route to a 4:33 PR, is a really encouraging sign for Cochran over the next two months. We have good reason to believe that she can run even faster than that come February. And if she does, then she'll have a shot to put herself on the national stage as an individual.
CSU-Pueblo's Reece Sharman-Newell & Colorado's Isaiah Givens Make History With Sub-4:00 (Mile) Efforts on Colorado Soil
The Colorado Classic kicked-off on Saturday. It was a meet that was more-or-less designed for a handful of men to chase a sub-4:00 mile mark on Colorado soil.
The "official" Colorado soil record in the mile was set by Adidas' Sam Parsons in January of 2023 when he ran 4:00-high. However, On Athletic Club's Joe Klecker and Ollie Hoare both unofficially broke the four-minute barrier back in 2020 in what was described as a “certified intrasquad time trial.”
On Saturday, the record books were officially rewritten by CSU-Pueblo's Reece Sharman-Newell. The Division Two megastar had been primarily known as an 800-meter runner, but moved up in distance to run a jaw-dropping mile time of 3:59.37! Behind him was Yasin Sado (unattached) and Isaiah Givens (Colorado), both of whom also ran 3:59.
Sharman-Newell didn't race for CSU-Pueblo for the last year, instead focusing on building his fitness for a monster senior campaign. And so far, he has done just that, becoming the first man to ever "officially" run under the four-minute mile barrier on Colorado soil.
Right now, Sharman-Newell has to be viewed as the D2 national title favorite in the mile. Seeing a D2 runner go under four minutes in the mile would have already been a big deal. But to do so at 5000-feet of altitude and earning a 3:53 mile conversion is flat-out incredible.
And when you consider that he's already run 1:45 for 800 meters, the skillset of this English middle distance star will be extremely tricky for his fellow D2 counterparts to take down.
As for Givens, his result holds less implications than it does for Sharman-Newell. However, his performance does show us that his aerobic strength is at an all-time high and that he's theoretically capable of thriving in time trial settings. We're still learning more about him, but given that he was already a national-caliber miler before this past weekend, this result is the furthest thing from a fluke.
Penn State Duo of Darius Smallwood & Olivier Desmeules Stun With Pair of 1:46 (800) Marks
Lost in the madness of the ultra-fast 1000-meter times that we saw at the Nittany Lion Challenge was the men's 800 meters. Going into the race, the Penn State duo of Darius Smallwood and Olivier Desmeules headlined the field. I felt fairly confident that the Nittany Lion pairing would go 1-2 in the race and I figured that their final marks would be fairly quick.
However, I may have made a blunder in my predictions...
"That said, it's hard to see this race being fast enough for anyone to run faster than 1:47 (800)." - Garrett Zatlin via Weekend Predictions
Whoops.
Smallwood and Desmeules did go 1-2 (in that order) as I predicted, but both men actually ended up running 1:46 for 800 meters! That was an outright personal best by both men (albeit, by different margins).
For Smallwood, this mark shows us that his 1:46 (800) PR from last spring was far from a fluke. It also shows us that he can be just as effective on the indoor oval as he was on the outdoor oval.
As for Desmeules, my only knock on him was that he didn't own a time that you would expect to see from an All-American-caliber runner. He is incredibly consistent and very tactically savvy. Now, he has a half-mile PR that should put him on the national stage (I think). And if/when that happens, I may end up taking him as my sleeper All-American pick.
Quick Hits
Vera Sjoberg (Boston U.) had a quietly excellent cross country season, nearly emerging as an All-American on the national stage. Thankfully, the Terrier star has seemingly translated that fitness to the track! Sjoberg just ran a 4:33 mile PR this past weekend. That time likely won't put her on the national stage, but she's not far off from that point, either.
Arizona State's Dayton Carlson secured a sneaky-good win this past weekend over Kimar Farquharson (Texas A&M) and Lloyd Frilot (TCU). After conversions, each of those men were given marks of 1:47 (800). We didn't necessarily learn a ton about Carlson, but it's nice to see him get a victory over an All-American in Farquharson.
