First Thoughts: Sahlman Goes 1:46.99, Plourde Runs 4:10, Villanova & Providence Earn Penn Relay Wins

Well friends, I told you that we would have more analysis today and I wasn't lying!

Here are the rest of the NCAA's top distance results from the last few days. Be sure to check out our Thursday night Penn Relays article here and our analysis from yesterday here. Let's wrap up all of the other headlines that we didn't get to!

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Simone Plourde Drops Big 4:10 (1500) PR at Drake Relays, Emerges As Top Collegiate While Addy Wiley Runs 4:12

It is impossible to dislike Simone Plourde. In terms of skillset, progression and raw talent, few women in the NCAA have developed the resume value that she has. The Utah ace has gone from being a high-upside youngster at BYU to a critical scoring piece on the grass to now a national-caliber star across three seasons at her new collegiate home.

After running 4:14 for 1500 meters in a somewhat chaotic race at the Stanford Invitational, followed by a big 15:21 (5k) mark at the Bryan Clay Invitational, it made sense that Plourde would return to the metric mile this past weekend.

And sure enough, that's exactly what happened as the Ute standout dropped a monster time of 4:10 over 1500 meters in an excellent battle with pro runner Nikki Hiltz as well as a handful of other top talents.

Plourde's result is incredibly impressive...but it's also not anything that should surprise us. She ran 8:53 for 3000 meters this past winter, ran 15:21 for 5000 meters the other week, could have clearly run faster than 4:14 (1500) at the Stanford Invite and initially built her reputation as a miler.

On paper, everything suggested that Plourde was going to be a top-tier metric miler. And although it took longer than we thought it would, the Utah ace finally showed us that was the case.

Of course, our question of, "What does she run on the national stage?" remains no easier than it already was. Her recent uptick in fitness this year suggests that the longer distances may be more of her forte. And in tactical races, her turnover could prove to be beneficial on the championship stage for 5000 meters.

But the mile is how Plourde first established her reputation in the NCAA. And in theory, the women's 1500 meter field, nationally, is far more wide-open than the women's 5k field is (especially with Parker Valby recently debuting).

I think it's time to start asking the question...is Simone Plourde a top-10 distance runner in the NCAA right now? I don't think that's a ridiculous thought to have.

Also in this race was Huntington U. superstar Addy Wiley, the true rookie who has taken the NAIA by storm.

In that same race at Plourde, Wiley posted a fantastic mark of 4:12 for 1500 meters, a new NAIA record per USTFCCCA. And just like I asked after her race at the Camel City Invite, I continue to wonder...what more does Wiley have to gain, athletically, by staying at the NAIA level? Especially given the concerning legal allegations surrounding her own program?

I don't have the answer to that question, and I'm only just speaking as a fan of the sport, but I personally wouldn't be surprised if she was on the move within the next year. That's not me suggesting that I know anything, that's just a hunch.

True Freshman Colin Sahlman Continues to Build Momentum, Runs 1:46.99 For 800 Meters

The 2022 cross country season was admittedly underwhelming for Northern Arizona's rookie superstar, Colin Sahlman. The all-time high school great offered little scoring on the grass and then proceeded to have a fairly quiet indoor track season during the winter months.

But somehow, someway, Sahlman has evolved into a completely different runner this spring. In fact, he has surpassed his peak from his senior year of high school where he could seemingly do no wrong.

Running 13:42 for 5000 meters in his season debut was incredibly impressive. Of course, for someone of his caliber, that wasn't a total shock. But then Sahlman went on to run 3:38 for 1500 meters and now 1:46.99 for 800 meters in Tucson, Arizona.

All of the sudden, Sahlman looks like the best true freshman in the NCAA for this outdoor track season. Not only is he running absurdly fast times, but he's flexing insane versatility. How many guys do you know can run 13:42 for 5000 meters, but also run sub-1:47 for the half-mile distance?

That's insane!

Oh, and did I mention that he took down an established 800 meter standout and a 1:46 man in Cebastian Gentil in that same race as well? Convincingly, I might add? That doesn't happen! That's incredibly rare!

So what is Sahlman's potential for the rest of the season? What will he pursue on the regional and national (assuming he qualifies) stages? What does this mean for the 2023 cross country season? What will his next race be?

It's taken a while, but Coach Mike Smith and his NAU coaching staff have done it yet again. Kudos to the Lumberjacks. They continue to put on a masterclass showing of patient development this year. First with their rise to win the national team title this past fall, and now with the nationally competitive emergence of Colin Sahlman.

Kaylee Mitchell (9:39) & Grace Fetherstonhaugh (9:45) Take Top-Two Spots in Dominating Sweep of Steeplechase

The Oregon State duo has returned to their marquee event, the steeplechase!

After a pair of fantastic indoor track seasons and a handful of strong season-opening marks in non-steeple events, both Kaylee Mitchell and Grace Fetherstonhaugh finally came back to the barriers and water pits on their home track this past weekend.

In a race that was essentially a time trial, the Beaver's 1-2 punch dominated the field. Mitchell posted an exceptional mark of 9:39 in the steeplechase while Fetherstonhaugh wasn't too far back with a 9:45 result of her own.

Mitchell now sits at NCAA #2 in that event on the national leaderboard, just 0.06 seconds off from Elise Thorner's top time in the country. Fetherstonhaugh, meanwhile, is currently listed at NCAA #4 in that event.

As good as those results are, I can't say that I'm super surprised. And frankly, if I'm Mitchell, Fetherstonhaugh or Coach Louie Quintana, I'm probably not surprised, either! Mitchell holds a 9:34 PR in the steeplechase while Fetherstonhaugh has run 9:37 in the event. Both of those times came at last year's outdoor national meet.

Regardless, this is a very nice step in the right direction. We're not even in the month of May yet and these Oregon State women are coming within somewhat reasonable striking distance of their personal bests. And given their recent uptick in fitness over the 1500 meters, the mile, the 3000 meters and the 5000 meters, faster steeplechase times are almost certainly coming in their future.

The only question is...how much faster?

Cincinnati Ace Rylee Penn Continues Breakout Year, Throws Down 2:01.90 PR For 800 Meters

One of the biggest robberies of this academic year was Rylee Penn not being nominated for our "Most Improved" award during the indoor track season. In retrospect, I have no idea how that happened. I feel like we should have been arrested for a serious crime.

I say that because this past winter, Penn went from a mile PR of 5:04 to 4:34. For those doing the math at home, that is a THIRTY. SECOND. PERSONAL. BEST. in a race that is 1609 meters long! In a single season! That's incredible!

But don't be mistaken, her monstrous progression didn't end there. Penn has continued to post insane marks this spring. She ran a wildly impressive time of 4:10 for 1500 meters at the Raleigh Relays (a 23-second PR) and just posted an 800 meter time of 2:01.90, a 10-second PR from last spring (and a 3.64-second PR from earlier this season).

What Penn continues to do has blown my mind. I have been writing about this sport for eight years now, six of which have been for The Stride Report. I sincerely don't know the last time I have seen a jump up in fitness of this magnitude. It's absolutely unheard of.

And the craziest part is that Penn keeps getting better! She's running times of 2:01.90 (800) and 4:10 (1500), but it feels like she hasn't fully reached her ceiling yet. And if I'm her competition, that is a terrifying prospect.

Admittedly, this Cincinnati star still holds limited experience. And in a race that where she essentially soloed her new 800 meter PR, I don't think we can say that we learned anything new about Penn's tactics. It's those nuanced aspects of her resume that still leave me with a few questions about her postseason potential.

But that could apply to a handful of women, not just Penn. Plus, we have to remember that the Bearcat standout has already thrived in competitive scenarios this year, such as securing a win at Music City Challenge in the mile and placing runner-up at the Raleigh Relays in the 1500 meters.

Simply put, if you weren't holding Rylee Penn stock before this spring season, or even before this past winter, then you missed out on a massive jump up in value.

Villanova Men Win 4xMile Relay at Penn Relays Thanks to Thrilling Final Kick From Liam Murphy

I have so many thoughts. SO many thoughts.

But let's try to break things down, piece by piece.

First off, I think we need to stop lying to ourselves.

I do it every year, the announcers do it every year and most fans do it every year.

99 times out of 100, the men's 4xMile relay at the Penn Relays is going to be tactical. It just is. There's no incentive to run a fast time, especially since the 4xMile isn't contested on the national stage.

And while we can complain that it was "lazy" running (not my words, the announcers words), the fact of the matter is that a tactical anchor leg in the 4xMile is SMART running. Because in order for this race to be fast, you need, a) someone to be the sacrificial lamb for everyone else to chase, or b) a multi-team race where one squad is trying to run away from the other(s).

Of course, in this scenario, the former scenario was the only realistic possibility. And naturally, no one was going to sacrifice their chances of winning a race for another team to get all of the glory of running a fast time.

Sure, it may be frustrating as fans, but fundamentally, tactics make sense -- and until the 4xMile is contested at the outdoor national meet and requires a national qualifying mark, tactics always will make sense.

Secondly, the relay orders make all of the difference. The Villanova men initially entered Sean Donoghue, Sean Dolan and Evan Addison (twice) for this relay. But in reality, we saw a lineup of Donoghue, Dolan, Charlie O'Donovan and Liam Murphy (not necessarily in that order).

And if you had told me that the Wildcats were going to field that group of four, then I would have absolutely put them in consideration to win. Would I still probably have taken Washington? Yes, I would have, but with this lineup, it shouldn't be a surprise that Villanova took home the wheel.

But let's actually chat about those guys -- more specifically, Liam Murphy.

In a Blue Oval Podcast episode from earlier this year, I said that Murphy, who is just a sophomore, reminded me of a mix between former Wildcat superstars, Patrick Tiernan and Jordy Williamsz.

Now, to be clear, a combination of those two runners might as well create the single-greatest distance runner to ever come through the NCAA.

And as much as I like Murphy, I'm not saying that about him.

However, when this second-year collegiate talent was charging down the final straightaway in a tactical 4xMile race at the Penn Relays, did he not remind you of Williamsz? The same version of Williamsz when he won the Penn Relays title against Edward Cheserek in 2015? That's certainly what I thought of...

But unlike Murphy, it was Williamsz who didn't have the range nor the ability to effectively move up in distance. Running 7:45 for 3000 meters and emerging as a likely future All-American isn't something that the now-elder Aussie speedster ever showed.

That's why I like to add a (slight) blend of Patrick Tiarnan in there.

This is now the second win of Murphy's season, although it's easily the most iconic win of his still-young career. This feels like the race that will define him for the next two-ish years. Tactically, he is light years beyond where he should be. And if he continues to get better, then I can't imagine what kind of threat he'll be in 2024.

As for the rest of Villanova's lineup, we should give them credit. In a race where there was a lot of movement, the Wildcats were probably among the best-positioned teams throughout the entirety of this battle.

And when you consider who else was in this field, that deserves major respect.

Providence Women Stun the Field, Earn Penn Relays Title in 4x1500 Meter Relay

Here is what I said about the Providence women in our Penn Relays meet preview...

"This is easily the most underrated lineup in this field...the Providence women could put Stanford and Notre Dame on upset alert."

The only problem?

I actually said "the most underrated DMR lineup" and Stanford wasn't even in the women's 4x1500 meter relay field. But it's the thought and the essence that counts...right?

Providence was SO good this past weekend. I do think that this race played out perfectly for them, but on paper, they were just as good as any other team in this field. And sure, they don't have the same star names that some of these other programs do, but the credentials and skillsets of these women made them realistic contenders for the win.

After an early deficit, the Lady Friars rallied throughout their second leg (listed as Shannon Flockhart) before their third leg (listed as Jane Buckley) and fourth leg (the final being Kimberly May) simply established a position at the front.

However, maybe the best thing to happen to the Providence women in this race was Oklahoma State rookie Billah Jepkirui being willing to push the pace on the anchor leg. Because if she didn't, then there's a good chance that a few others in this field would have been let back into the race.

And in theory, that would have simply lowered Kimberly May's chances of holding off her opponents on the final straightaway for the overall win.

The final takeaways from this race should be relatively straightforward.

Providence is FAR better than most people realize (and even slightly better than I personally thought) while Billah Jepkirui may be the best strength-based finisher in the NCAA right now (or at least top-five).

The Cowgirl rookie may not have a ton of natural leg speed (which isn't necessarily to say that she has none), but her aerobic-based talent has allowed her to stay competitive at the end of close races.

Quick Hits

• Navasky Anderson has finally run in his first 800 meter race of the season, posting a time of 1:47 for the half-mile distance en route to a comfortable win. That was hardly a surprise development, but given his talent, it's worth noting his return to this event.

• Olivia Howell returned to the 800 meters this past weekend, running a (small) PR of 2:02.50. However, it's who she took down that should really capture your attention. The Illinois star handed losses to Dorcus Ewoi (2:03), Sarah Hendrick (2:03) and Ukeyvia Beckwith (2:04) on Saturday. That is a no-joke field that Howell just defeated despite the 800 meters not being her primary event.

• Tulsa's Christian Baker posted a surprisingly great time of 8:38 in the steeplechase at the Drake Relays, taking down the defending D2 champion in that event, Reece Smith, who also ran 8:38. Baker has had flashes of brilliance, and he's been really solid so far this spring, but gosh, this felt like a statement performance to really validate his recent progress.